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Pineapples have long been considered a symbol of wealth — a delicacy that was once kept on display as a demonstration of status rather than consumed. But by the 1800s, pineapples became more attainable to the general public. Whether you’re indulging in a Hawaiian or Bahamian type of pineapple, the prickly fruits are delicious in baked goods, gelatins, and marinades. Many recipes, such as our pineapple coconut poke cake, call for canned pineapple — but how do you know if you’re grabbing the right container?
The best tip to remember while shopping for canned pineapple is to select a brand filled with pineapple juice, not pineapple syrup. Pineapples canned with artificial syrup often absorb the added sugars, making the fruit denser and much sweeter than pineapple canned in juice. The extra sweetness and saturation can completely change the outcome of your cake, considering most pineapple cake recipes call for bakers to strain the pineapple pieces from the juice, anyway. While we agree that canned pineapple is one of the best canned fruits to buy at the grocery store, it’s important to keep your eye on labels.
What you might not know about canned pineapple
At the factories where your favorite brands of canned pineapple are prepared, the fruits are neatly peeled, sliced, and washed for their journey to the grocery store. During this process, either pineapple juice or artificial syrup is added back to the can to help preserve the pineapple slices, but the difference between the two is significant. Pineapple juice is no different than the experience of slicing a fresh pineapple and working with the liquids that come from the fruit, but pineapple syrup is made up of added sugars, water, and pineapple juice. Pineapples naturally contain sugar, but syrups created with artificial sugar can add about 25% to 30% more sugar intake to your diet, not to mention vastly changing your recipe.
You may be thinking, given the confusion between juice versus syrup, why not just grab a fresh pineapple and cut up the slices for a flavorful cake? While this will work in some circumstances, canned pineapple is often preferable for a variety of reasons, such as cost-effectiveness, shelf life, and uniformity of taste. Plus, canned pineapple is more readily available in regions that don’t have easy access to fresh pineapple imports year-round. If you’re not using it in a cake, there are plenty of other creative ways to use canned pineapple in the kitchen — plus, many clever ways to incorporate canned pineapple into your meals. You can order a 15-ounce can of organic pineapple from Native Forest on Amazon to get started.
