As you might imagine, this is not a diet recipe. However, it IS a really easy recipe for a fantastic cake.

I first made this cake when I lived in South Carolina, and I was thinking about it when we had a Mexican-themed party recently. But I couldn’t remember where I had gotten the recipe originally. My mom says it came from a neighbor who lived two doors down from us when I was growing up in Arizona. This would be the woman who told me sharks lived behind the light in our swimming pool, which made me refuse to be in the pool by myself for more years than I should probably admit. But I am willing to forgive her, at least partly, for this cake.

I should note that while this woman lived in Arizona and this cake is called “Mexican Wedding Cake,” I’m pretty sure she has no Mexican or Latin heritage of any kind. Her name was Judy Walters, after all. So I have no idea where the name of the cake comes from.

I used two 9-inch round cake pans, but you could also use a 13 x 9 rectangle cake pan. Either way is good.

The cake doesn’t have any oil in it, but it’s very moist because of the pineapple juice. And it will look pretty dark when it comes out of the oven. Don’t worry.

The end product will look a lot better if you put a thin layer of frosting on the cake, stick it in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes, and then cover the cake with a second layer of frosting.

Feel free to use pecans if you prefer them to walnuts. And feel free to eat this cake for breakfast. I won’t judge. Just promise you won’t scare 4-year-olds into thinking Jaws lives in their pool. It’s not nice.

Mexican wedding cake (From Judy Walters, apparently)
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Add crushed pineapple with juice, vanilla and nuts to egg and sugar mixture. Stir together, then gradually add flour and stir just until combined.

Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Pour batter equally into two pans (use a scale if you have one). Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick or cake-tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool, then frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting
8-ounce package cream cheese
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until fluffy. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat together until combined. Gradually add more sugar until frosting is a good consistency. Store frosted cake in refrigerator.