When I was a little girl growing up in a village in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, our family used to attend gatherings called Pot Luck Suppers in the village hall. Everyone in the village was asked to bring something: 2 litres of milk here, a loaf of bread there and notable bakers were asked to bring sweets. Someone (I don’t know who) would always bring pineapple squares. As a child I would scan the sweet tables, searching for these pineapple squares as I absolutely loved them.
My grandmother used to make pineapple squares too, when we visited her at home. This recipe, long since sourced online and jotted in my notebook, tastes exactly as I remember they did over quarter of a century ago. It’s a very easy recipe to make, but make sure you chill the base thoroughly before trying to spread on the filling, or else you’ll end up with buttercream filled with biscuit crumbs!
- 200 grams digestive biscuits, crushed
- 117 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 117 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 230 grams icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp pineapple juice
- 432 gram tin crushed pineapple, drained
- 300 ml whipping cream
1. Preheat oven to 170 C. Line a 9″ square tin with a removable base with baking paper.
2. Mix together crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter. Press into the base of the pan, reserving some crumb for the topping.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for at least one hour.
1. Blend soft butter and icing sugar together with enough pineapple juice to make it spreadable.
2. Spread over biscuit base.1. Drain juice from the tin of pineapple.
1. Whip the cream and gently fold in the crushed pineapple.
2. Spread over the buttercream layer and sprinkle with the reserved biscuit crumbs.
3. Chill for at least four hours before cutting into squares and serving.
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: Makes 16 squares
Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Michelle says
February 3, 2018 at 3:29 pmAlso from Nova Scotia, and my whole family agrees: these taste EXACTLY like my grandmother’s! Thanks for the nostalgic recipe!
Linda says
December 11, 2016 at 2:24 amThese squares freeze just fine!
Paul Wilson says
March 28, 2015 at 1:16 amBe great with afternoon tea.
Christine says
September 25, 2014 at 9:09 amHooray. I’ve been asked to make some dessert for a wedding party tomorrow. I immediately thought of this because I used to make it decades ago and it was always popular, but I wasn’t sure of the quantities & couldn’t find my own book. I googled “pineapple cream with biscuit base” and here it is, EXACTLY right. Many thanks!!
Elizabeth says
September 25, 2014 at 10:25 amYay! Pleased to have helped 🙂 Hope you have a lovely time at the wedding party -these squares would make a lovely buffet treat!
Cheryl says
December 5, 2016 at 9:33 pmhello Elizabeth
Can the pineapple squares be frozen?
Trying to plan ahead for a family Christmas.
Cheryl
Elizabeth says
December 6, 2016 at 12:56 pmI don’t think they should be frozen, to be honest, but then again my grandmother used to freeze everything beforehand. I’ll have to ask if she froze these too, but I don’t think the cream would defrost well.
Cindy McIsaac says
September 26, 2013 at 12:52 pmThank you so much for posting this recipe. A friend asked me to make them but I’ve never made them so didn’t have a recipe, but I knew I needed one that was “local”..lol. I’m from Cape Breton (New Waterford), so I knew all the other recipes I was finding wasn’t what she was looking for. Can’t wait to try them!
Gord says
May 22, 2013 at 12:30 amMy Mother used to make this for me as a child. I thought I’d never get to eat them again. Thankfully my Mother in Law is a great cook as was able to dischper my Mom’s original handwritten receipe from the early 60’s.
From all accounts, your receipe is identical to that of my Mother’s…thanks for posting this for all to see and share 🙂
Elizabeth says
June 15, 2013 at 8:29 pmThat just goes to show – this is a timeless recipe, no need for adaptation! It’s perfect as it is. I too thought I’d never get to eat them again and I was lucky to have found a recipe online years ago. 🙂
Janice says
June 29, 2012 at 6:06 pmLooks delicious
Elizabeth says
June 15, 2013 at 8:28 pmOh they so are! Very nostalgic for me, too.