Pineapple Coconut Cake (with Cream Cheese Frosting)
If you’re looking for an incredibly moist dessert bursting with tropical flavor, this Pineapple Coconut Cake is about to become your new favorite. Topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting, it’s fit for a special occasion. The best part? The cake itself contains no butter or oil!
This pineapple coconut cake recipe is a convenient option for guests avoiding dairy. Simply leave a portion unfrosted or drizzle the entire cake with a pineapple syrup and toasted coconut for a naturally sweet finish.
You can have it whipped up in under an hour, making it a delicious afternoon treat with coffee or an effortless dessert when serving a crowd. However you serve it, this tropical delight always disappears fast.
What is pineapple coconut cake with cream cheese frosting?
This pineapple coconut cake is a wonderfully moist and flavorful dessert, thanks to the crushed pineapple baked directly into the batter and the addition of the canned juice. While super simple to make, it delivers a sophisticated taste. The rich and tangy cream cheese frosting, enhanced with a hint of coconut extract, perfectly complements this sweet and nutty cake.
Add a sprinkle of shredded coconut (plain or toasted) over the top of the frosting for extra flavor or leave off. Either way, it’s a perfectly balanced, crowd-pleasing treat that you can whip up in less than an hour!
Remember if you are serving guests who don’t want dairy (the frosting), cut some pieces and set aside before frosting the cake. It’s delicious even with not frosting.
Why you’ll love pineapple coconut cake with cream cheese frosting
- With no butter or oil in the cake, it’s a great dairy-free option for guests – just save a piece before frosting.
- The flavor combination in this pineapple coconut cake is amazing, and the simple frosting is incredibly delicious too.
- Bake the cake ahead of time and freeze it, then simply thaw before frosting and serving when ready.
Ingredients needed to make pineapple coconut cake
For the Cake:
- Eggs: Allow your eggs to reach room temperature for easy mixing. For an egg-free cake, use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is the common choice for cake batter. For a deeper flavor, swap 1/2 cup with light brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract: For added depth of flavor. Add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract for more nutty notes.
- All-purpose flour: For a lighter texture, substitute 1 cup with cake flour.
- Crushed pineapple (with juice): This is the star ingredient! Use fresh pineapple (blended with 1/4 cup water) if canned pineapple isn’t available.
- Baking soda: Reacts with the pineapple’s acidity for the perfect rise.
- Walnuts: Chopped into larger chunks for extra texture. Feel free to use toasted walnuts for added depth of flavor.
For the Frosting:
- Cream cheese: Soften at room temperature for easy mixing and smooth texture.
- Butter: Softened at room temperature. You can use salted or unsalted butter since the cake batter doesn’t call for the addition of salt.
- Vanilla extract: For added depth of flavor.
- Coconut extract: Adds a boost of irresistible coconut flavoring that pairs beautifully with the pineapple cake batter.
- Powdered sugar: Sift to prevent any lumps in the frosting. It also helps to thicken the frosting while also balancing the tangy flavor of the cream cheese.
- Coconut: This is optional, but I recommend adding it for extra flavor and texture.
How do you make this pineapple coconut cake recipe?
Prepare the cake batter:
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
- Add flour, pineapple with juice, baking soda and walnuts. Mix well to combine.
Bake the pineapple cake:
- Pour the cake batter into a 9×13-inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Make the cream cheese frosting:
- Cream together the softened cream cheese and butter.
- Add the extracts and powdered sugar, and use an electric mixer to beat until the frosting is smooth.
Assemble the pineapple coconut cake:
- Frost the cake once cooled.
- Add the coconut on top as an optional finish.
Serving
This pineapple coconut cake makes a scrumptious treat with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee, or as something sweet to follow dessert. Serve a slice as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover pineapple coconut cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days due to the cream cheese frosting. The flavors deepen over time! Unfrosted pineapple cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Freeze and make-ahead: Wrap unfrosted pineapple coconut cake in plastic and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before adding fresh cream cheese frosting.
- Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the cake batter or you will create an overly dense cake.
- Extracts: I love the combination of vanilla and coconut extract in the cream cheese frosting, but you could omit the coconut extract and just use vanilla instead, if you prefer.
- Cool before frosting: Make sure that the cake has cooled completely as any residual heat and steam will make the frosting runny.
- Add shredded coconut immediately: Make sure to sprinkle the coconut over the cream cheese frosting before it sets so that the coconut sticks. In the event that the frosting has dried before adding the coconut, simply press the coconut down with your fingers into the frosting.
- How to toast coconut: Place the coconut on a paper towel and microwave it for a minute. Toss it around, and microwave again for another minute until it’s a nice golden brown.
- I absolutely love my Le Creuset pan and KitchenAid mixer (and hand-mixer) for this recipe!
Variations:
- Fruity twist: If you don’t like pineapple, make this cake with canned peaches (diced) and the juice.
- Nuts: Swap walnuts for pecans or chopped pretzels for a salty-sweet contrast.
- Toasted coconut: Sprinkle toasted coconut over the frosting for a deeper flavor.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum if needed.
- Pineapple coconut cupcakes: Make pineapple coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting instead of a whole cake. Reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes.
- Non-Dairy: Remember if you are serving guests who don’t want dairy (the frosting), cut some pieces and set aside before frosting the cake. It’s delicious even with not frosting.
Looking for something slightly less sweet with an added boost of nutrition? I got you covered with this Carrot Zucchini Pineapple Bread – perfect for brunch, lunch, or snacking any time!
More pineapple-coconut treats you may want to try:
- Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes
- Pineapple Poke Cake
- Coconut Almond Cake
- Pineapple Dream Cake
- Upside Down Pineapple Cake
Get the Recipe:
Pineapple Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice, or if you use 16 ounces add 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- Cooking spray
Frosting
- 4 ounce cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup coconut, toasted – optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. To make cake batter, in a large bowl, beat together eggs with sugar and vanilla. Add flour, pineapple with juice, baking soda and walnuts and mix well to combine.
- Pour cake batter into a 9×13 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 32 to 37 minutes.
make the frosting:
- To making frosting, cream together cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla, coconut extract, and powdered sugar and use an electric mixer to beat until frosting is smooth. Frost cake once it has cooled after baking.
- Toast the coconut and sprinkle on top of the cake (optional). TO TOAST: Place on a papertowel in the microwave for 2 minutes, moving it around a couple times.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Store leftover pineapple coconut cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days due to the cream cheese frosting. The flavors deepen over time! Unfrosted pineapple cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Freeze and make-ahead: Wrap unfrosted pineapple coconut cake in plastic and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before adding fresh cream cheese frosting.
- Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the cake batter or you will create an overly dense cake.
- Extracts: I love the combination of vanilla and coconut extract in the cream cheese frosting, but you could omit the coconut extract and just use vanilla instead, if you prefer.
- Cool before frosting: Make sure that the cake has cooled completely as any residual heat and steam will make the frosting runny.
- Add shredded coconut immediately: Make sure to sprinkle the coconut over the cream cheese frosting before it sets so that the coconut sticks. In the event that the frosting has dried before adding the coconut, simply press the coconut down with your fingers into the frosting.
- How to toast coconut: Place the coconut on a paper towel and microwave it for a minute. Toss it around, and microwave again for another minute until it’s a nice golden brown.
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I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I made this cake with no oil or butter! It was fabulous ?. I’m going to use it for a carrot cake as we’ll.
AWESOME ??
This looks wonderful! I love coconut, pineapple, and cake! For those who cannot tolerate dairy, there are some very good non-dairy cream cheeses available. I think they would work beautifully for this recipe. And then no one will feel “singled out”. :) Thanks for the recipe!