Jump to recipe Jump to video
The texture of this tropical pineapple coconut cake is amazing. The crushed pineapple makes it super moist, while the coconut combines with the cake batter to form a soft spongy crumb. And best of all, you don't need to be too precise with the measurements. This is an easy no-fail recipe that delivers perfect results time after time.
**As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.**
Jump to:
- Easy no-fail pineapple coconut cake
- How to make a pineapple coconut cake
- How to serve pineapple coconut cake
- Save for later
- Other recipes
- 📋The recipe
Easy no-fail pineapple coconut cake
This pineapple coconut cake is one of my favourite cake recipes of all time, and I'm delighted to be able to share it with you. It's packed with tropical flavours of pineapple and coconut and is so moist that it doesn't need any frosting. It's the perfect cake to impress your friends at the office, but at the same time, it wouldn't be out of place as a dessert at a formal dinner party. I've made this pineapple cake umpteen times and it really is a no-fail recipe.
The pineapple flavour of this cake really shines through. This is due to adding crushed pineapples to both the cake batter and the delicious sugary pineapple glaze. This cake contains an entire can of pineapple, and there is just enough coconut in the mixture to provide a coconut taste, without being too sweet.
I love the flavour of coconut and I often use it for making cakes and desserts. If you also enjoy coconut, you may enjoy these other recipes too.
- Coconut meringe jam tarts
- Coconut macaroons with chocolate topping
- Crunchies with oats and coconut
- Easy coconut pie
How to make a pineapple coconut cake
You can get the complete recipe and detailed ingredients for this pineapple coconut cake on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
To make a pineapple coconut cake you will need all the normal cake ingredients like flour, eggs and butter, but instead of milk, you use a can of pineapple chunks. Get pineapple which has been canned in its own juice. Don't use pineapple in a heavy syrup, this will be too sweet.
The pineapple chunks will be blended in a food processor until crushed. Some of the pineapple will be added to the cake and the rest will be mixed with icing sugar (or powdered sugar / confectioner's sugar) to form a glaze which will be poured over the baked cake while it is still warm.
Make the pineapple and coconut batter
Start off by creaming the butter and sugar as you would for a normal cake. I like to use my electric hand mixer for this as it saves a lot of effort. If you don't have a hand mixer, you can just use a wooden spoon and a lot of elbow grease!
Separate the eggs and put the whites aside. Beat in the egg yolks (image 1).
Drain ¾ of the pineapple juice from the tin and set it aside. Place the pineapple chunks, along with the rest of the pineapple juice, into a blender and blend until the chunks are finely chopped. Scoop out one cup of the crushed pineapple (image 2) and mix it into the creamed butter, sugar and egg mixture. Pour the remainder of the crushed pineapple into the reserved juice.
The reason we remove most of the juice from the pineapple chunks before blending is that there would be too much liquid in the pineapple and the cake batter would be too wet.
Add the coconut to the batter and then sift in the flour and baking powder (image 3). I have used plain flour (or cake flour) for this recipe, but you could substitute plain flour with self-raising flour.
Mix until well combined. At this stage, the mixture will be slightly thicker than a normal cake batter.
Add the beaten egg whites
Now beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed, fold the egg whites into the cake batter ⅓ at a time. Do not beat, just cut the egg whites through the batter with a knife until they are combined (image 2). The egg whites will thin the batter down slightly.
Grease a 9" (23cm) round spring-form cake tin lightly with butter and then line the bottom with a round of baking parchment (image 3). The baking parchment will enable you to remove the cake from the tin easily. Pour the batter into the cake tin (image 4).
Place the cake tin into a pre-heated oven (180C / 375F) for about 35 minutes until the top of the cake is nicely browned and feels firm to the touch, and a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out cleanly.
Make the pineapple glaze
Mix the reserved crushed pineapple and juice with icing sugar (powdered sugar / confectioner's sugar) in a microwave-safe bowl. The mixture will be runny. Place the pineapple mixture into the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high power. The pineapple mixture will have thickened slightly, but will still be quite runny. Pour the hot pineapple mixture over the cake (still in the baking pan) and allow it to cool. Make sure the pineapple mixture covers the entire cake.
Remove from the pan and place on a serving plate.
This pineapple coconut cake will remain moist and fresh for up to 4 days if stored in a covered container in the kitchen.
How to serve pineapple coconut cake
You can serve this pineapple coconut cake as is, or you can sprinkle the top of the cake with additional icing sugar (powdered sugar / confectioner's suger) before serving.
This cake is also delicious when served as a dessert and either topped with a scoop of ice cream or covered with creamy custard.
Save for later
Why not pin this tropical pineapple cake recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily. Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
Why not take a look at some of my other cake and dessert recipes?
- No bake pineapple icebox cake
- Easy all in one apple cake
- German bee sting cake with creme patisserie
- Double passion fruit cheesecake (made without cheese)
- Peppermint chocolate mousse
- Pecan and banana bundt cakes
📋The recipe
Easy pineapple coconut cake
The texture of this tropical pineapple coconut cake is amazing. The crushed pineapple makes it super moist, while the coconut combines with the cake batter to form a soft spongy crumb. And best of all, you don't need to be too precise with the measurements. This is an easy no-fail recipe that delivers perfect results time after time.
Recipe by: Veronica
Easy cakes
Western
Calories 334
Prep 20 minutes minutes
Cook 35 minutes minutes
Total Time 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 9" round cake
Print Pin Comment Bookmark
4.83 from 67 votes
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
Microwave safe bowl
Ingredients
- 435 g canned pineapple chunks in own juice (15 ounces)
- 125 g butter (½ cup)
- 190 g sugar (1 cup)
- 2 large eggs separated
- 50 g sweetened desiccated coconut (½ cup)
- 280 g plain / all purpose / cake flour (2 cups)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 60 g icing sugar / powdered sugar / confectioner's sugar (
½ cup )
Instructions
Prepare the pineapple
Drain ¾ pineapple juice from the can and reserve
Place pineapple and remaining juice in a blender or food processor and blitz until pulpy or crushed.
Remove one cup of crushed pineapple (this will be used for the cake) and place the remaining crushed pineapple into the reserved juice (this will be used for the cake topping).
Mix the cake batter
Grease a 9" round springform cake pan and line the bottom with baking parchment.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/375°F
Beat the sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl until light and creamy
Add the egg yolks and beat in until thoroughly mixed
Mix in the cup of crushed pineapple
Add the coconut, then sift in the flour and baking powder and mix well until combined.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed.
Cut the beated egg white through the cake batter ⅓ at a time until just incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin
Place the cake tin in the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the top of the cake is browned and firm to the touch, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out cleanly.
Remove from the oven.
Make the glaze
Place the reserved pineapple juice and the remaining crushed pineapple into a microwave-safe bowl and add the icing sugar.
Mix well to remove any lumps of sugar
Microwave on high power for 3 minutes (I have a 900 watt microwave - adjust the timing slightly to accommodate different wattage)
Pour over the cake while still hot and still in the cake pan.
Allow the cake to cool and then remove from the cake pan.
Dust with icing sugar if preferred.
Notes
For the pineapple, you should use pineapple chunks canned in their own juice.
You could also substitute the plain flour with self-raising flour and leave out the baking powder.
Calories have been calculated on the assumption that the cake will be cut into 10 slices
Nutrition
Calories - 334kcal | Carbohydrates - 47.6g | Protein - 4.6g | Fat - 14.6g | Saturated Fat - 9.6g | Cholesterol - 64mg | Sodium - 88mg | Potassium - 74mg | Fiber - 1.6g | Sugar - 25.4g | Calcium - 14mg | Iron - 2mg
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [emailprotected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.
