Old-Fashioned Southern Granny Cake
This vintage Southern sheet cake relies on a simple two-stage baking technique that creates both a tender crumb and a rich candied top. Crushed pineapple provides all the moisture for the batter without needing an electric mixer, while chopped pecans and brown sugar scatter across the surface before baking to form a crisp praline crust. Why This Method Works Baking the brown sugar and nuts directly on raw batter allows the sugar to melt into the nuts during baking, producing a bubbling, crunchy praline crust in the oven. The cake then receives a second infusion of richness right as it finishes baking. Pouring the hot boiled milk-and-butter glaze over the cake immediately after it leaves the oven ensures rapid absorption. The hot sponge drinks in the liquid glaze, which cools into a crackly, glossy surface over the toasted nuts. Key Ingredients & Texture Cues A 20-ounce can of undrained crushed pineapple in full juice provides both the fruit base and the primary liquid for the flou...