Pineapple Cake

This Pineapple Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting is a pineapple lovers dream come true with flavors of pineapple, coconut, and pecan. This moist delectable single layer cake has an easy cream cheese frosting that has been 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.

I love this cake so much.  It is just that good.  This is a must try. I am warning you though.  You really should have a plan in place for sharing this because it is almost impossible to just eat one piece.  Not a huge coconut fan?  No problem at all.  Just omit it and the cake is still outstanding.  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.

How do you make Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting?

This is a very easy cake to prepare.  Grab a big bowl and 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 pecans. Mix just until combined and then pour 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.

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, butter and reserved pineapple juice.  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 in.  Spread over the completely cooled cake. Spread the top with the completely cooled coconut and remaining chopped pecans.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

• Take enough time to measure your ingredients properly. Spoon your flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with a table knife.
• Grease your baking dish well.  I like to use Baker’s Joy.  It is no-stick baking spray with flour.  I have been using it for many years and I love it.
• The cake batter is best mixed by hand so as not to over mix it.  
• Don’t over bake the cake.  Remember the old toothpick test that your grandma showed you. It is a pretty reliable test which is why it has been used for generations and generations.
• Prepare ahead of time and soften the cream cheese and butter.  Cream cheese and butter always mix better together when they are softened.
• Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting.
• Store this cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to properly freeze this cake

This particular cake can be prepared ahead of time as it freezes quite well.  You can freeze just the cake part or complete the whole cake with the frosting and the toasted coconut and then freeze. The cake should be completely cooled before wrapping and placing in the freezer.  Simply wrap all the way around the dish several times with a good heavy plastic wrap.

If the cake is taller than the sides of the baking dish simply flash freeze it first so that the wrap does not have any affect on it. To flash freeze simply place it in the freezer uncovered until it is frozen and then cover with plastic.  Since you are freezing this cake in the dish it was cooked in and are not placing in freezer bags (the cake is too large for freezer bags) only do this up to a month in advance. However if you are just freezing a portion of the cake then just flash freeze it, double wrap in freezer bags and store up to 2 months.

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