This Pineapple Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting is a pineapple lover’s dream come true, with flavors of pineapple, coconut, and pecan. This moist, delectable single-layer cake has an easy cream cheese frosting flavored with pineapple juice and topped with toasted coconut and pecans. It screams summer in every bite and is perfect for graduations, pool parties, patio shindigs, and baby showers.
Delicious and Easy Pineapple Cake
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this simple and mouth-watering pineapple cake recipe. Made with crushed pineapple, this cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at any gathering or as a tasty treat for yourself. Get step-by-step instructions and ingredients list here. You really should have a plan in place for sharing this because it is almost impossible to eat one piece. Not a huge coconut fan? Just omit it, and the cake is still outstanding. Are you not a fan of nuts in your cake? No worries. Just omit them or swap them out for walnuts. As I always say, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
Pineapple Cake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – or cake flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil – or canola oil
- Crushed pineapple – canned works best
- Vanilla extract – the pure stuff
- Pecans – or walnuts
- Coconut flakes – sweetened
- Cream cheese – full fat is best
- Butter – unsalted
- Powdered sugar – also known as confectioner’s sugar
How to Make Pineapple Cake
This is a very easy cake to prepare. Grab a big bowl and whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together. Add the beaten eggs, vegetable oil, crushed pineapple (reserving 3 tablespoons of the juice), vanilla extract, and 3/4 cup pecans. Mix just until combined, and then pour the mixture into a well-greased 9×13 baking pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to fully cool for several hours.
Spread sweetened coconut in a thin layer onto a baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Gently flip the coconut several times to help it brown more evenly. Completely cool the coconut.
Combine the cream cheese, butter, and reserved pineapple juice in a medium bowl. Using a mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, scraping down the sides as you mix it. Spread over the completely cooled cake. Spread the top with the completely cooled coconut and the remaining chopped pecans.
Recipe Tips
- Take enough time to measure your ingredients properly. Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a table knife.
- The cake batter is best mixed by hand so as not to over-mix it.
- Prepare ahead of time and soften the cream cheese and butter. Softened cream cheese and butter always mix better together.
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
I highly recommend canned crushed pineapple for this recipe. Fresh pineapple contains enzymes that may weaken the gluten structure, leading to a cake with a low rise.
Store this cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This cake can be prepared ahead of time as it freezes quite well. You can freeze just the cake part or the whole cake with the frosting and the toasted coconut. The cake should be completely cooled before wrapping and placing it in the freezer. Wrap the dish several times with heavy plastic wrap and then cover it with one layer of aluminum foil.
Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pineapple Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 8-ounce cans crushed pineapple with juice (reserve 3 tablespoons juice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 8 ounce box cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 1/2 -4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the beaten eggs, vegetable oil, crushed pineapple (reserving 3 tablespoons of the juice), vanilla extract, and 3/4 cup chopped pecans. Mix just until combined and pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to fully cool for several hours before icing.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread sweetened coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned; flipping halfway. Let the coconut cool.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and reserved pineapple juice until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, scraping down the sides. Spread over the completely cooled cake. Sprinkle the top with toasted coconut and remaining pecans.
Notes
- Take enough time to measure your ingredients properly. Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a table knife.
- The cake batter is best mixed by hand so as not to over-mix it.
- Prepare ahead of time and soften the cream cheese and butter. Softened cream cheese and butter always mix better together.
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting.
Nutrition
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Bev
Other than the pineapple juice put aside do you use the balance in the cake or do you drain it prior to adding the pineapple?
Beth Pierce
Use the balance of the pineapple juice in the cake with the crushed pineapple.
Judit Csató
Greetings from Hungary! I love your recipes and this is no exception. I’ve made it before and I’ll make it again for our guests this weekend. Thank you!
Beth Pierce
Greetings! I am so glad that you like the pinepple cake!
Paul Mtz
I’m going to make this cake for Easter dinner tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipe. I’ve read others post about baking the cake in two 9″ round pans. I wonder if I could use a bundt pan to bake it in? Any thoughts?
Beth Pierce
I am sorry that I missed this! It has been so busy lately. Yes you can bake this in a 10 inch bundt pan.
Deb
I’ve tried other variations of this cake using the same measurement of sugar and found it to be too sweet…can I cut back the sugar to 3/4 cup or 1 cup? Do I need to use pineapple in its own juice or packed in 2ater?
Beth Pierce
Use pineapple packed it its own juice. As far as the sugar I am hesitant to advise on something I have not tested. The most I would cut it back to is 1 cup.
Lauri
This cake is amazing! I made it exactly as the instruction said. I did bake this into 9 inch round pans for about 5 to 10 minutes less than the recipe called for. This was perfect, in my opinion. I put a layer of the cream cheese frosting plus toasted, coconut and pecans in between each cake layer. Sprinkle the top with more coconut and pecans. They gave a really nice texture to this very moist cake. My family loved it
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked the cake. I love the tip on the added pecans! I bet it was delicious~
Dorothy
Recipe looks wonderful- could you add some rum flavoring to the cake for a pina colada flavor and if so how much? Thank you.
Beth Pierce
Thank you! You could most certainly add 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons of rum extract. Delicious!
Alice
Simple, but wonderful. the very simple way used to make it.
Cinny
We love pineapples in our house. This was yummy! Thanks for the great recipe! The cake was moist and delicious!
Faith
This cake is superb! The nuts add a crispy texture, as well as the cream cheese icing is delicious! My whole family really enjoyed this recipe. Thank you!
Christina
Asked my daughter to make this recipe for the first time – family birthday celebration – it’s fantastic ! The pineapple bakes to a carmelized flavor and is sooo moist while the cream cheese cuts a bit of the sweetness. Unanimous vote was to make it again and again…..
Beth Pierce
That is great! I am so happy that you liked it!
Gladys Nava
This recipe is so new to me! I will definitely try it this coming weekend! Look so tasty
Rosey
What a great pineapple cake. Perfect for a tropical summer feel. I love the cream cheese frosting and so does my family!