The chemical, sensory and microbial qualities of candied-pineapple and cherry cakes were investigated. Both cake samples were also analyzed for chemical composition and microbial load before, during and after 56 days storage at room temperature. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the physico-chemical composition of the cherry cake and candied pineapple cake except for protein values of 9.00% and 8.63% respectively and magnesium content with values of 0.23% and 0.27% respectively. Sensory evaluation results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the two samples with the exception of colour (7.84) for both samples and texture (7.84 and 7.80) for cherry and candied pineapple cakes, respectively. In terms of general acceptability, the candied-pineapple cake was most preferred (8.52). The microbial loads (bacterial and fungal) of the candied pineapple cake were lower than the cherry cake throughout the duration of the 56 days storage at room temperature. The highest bacterial load was recorded after the 28th day (148.0 × 105 cfu/g) and (194.30 × 105 cfu/g) for candied pineapple and cherry cakes respectively. The fungal load was also highest at 28th day of storage (14.33 × 101 cfu/g) and (12.67 × 103 cfu/g) for candied pineapple and cherry cakes respectively. The total viable counts (TVC) were within acceptable limits for human consumption. Therefore, candied-pineapple can readily substitute cherry in fruit cake making in Nigeria.
