Pineapple Coconut Cake is a moist, coconut cake filled with layers of sweet pineapple filling, covered in a velvety coconut cream cheese frosting, and topped with shredded coconut and homemade pineapple flowers. This cake is light and has just the right amount of sweetness to tang with the pineapple filling and cream cheese frosting. It is the perfect summer dessert!
Besides the delicious taste, I love this cake because it is really simple to make. The pineapple flowers do require a few hours to dry out and shape however, they are not difficult and look very impressive! If you are short on time though, you can always leave them off.
Pineapple Coconut Cake Process
Even though we provide detailed instructions in the recipe below, the following is a general overview of the process along with some tips.
Pineapple Flowers
If using pineapple flowers for décor, you may want to begin with them as they take several hours to set. These flowers are made from slicing thin rounds from a pineapple and are completely edible. They can even be dyed with food coloring if desired.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Remove outer shell of pineapple but do not core. Cut the pineapple into extremely thin slices and then use paper towels to extract as much moisture as possible from the slices. A mandoline can be extremely helpful in making thin slices however, it is not necessary. I did not use one when slicing mine and they turned out fine. But if you have one, it might speed up the process of drying because they will be thinner than if using a knife.
If using food dye to color them, mix dye with a tiny amount of water and brush onto slices. Place on a wire cooling rack over a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 2-3 hours, or until almost completely dried. (You may need to flip them over half way through.) After removing from the oven, place each into a mini muffin tin or some other small container to help mold the flowers into desired shapes. Depending on how dry your flowers are, shaping may take anywhere from half an hour to a few hours. (You may even prepare these the day prior to making your cake and allow to set overnight in the muffin tin.)
Prepare Pans
We use three 9-inch cake pans for this recipe but you may use other sizes/shapes and adjust the baking time accordingly.
For the 9-inch pans, grease them and line with parchment paper. Then, grease the parchment paper. Alternatively, spray cake pans with Pam Baking Spray (with flour). I always use cake strips when baking round cakes. They eliminate the need to trim your cake after baking because they produce level tops. If using cake strips, begin soaking them in water when you start prepping your ingredients. This will ensure they have absorbed enough when you are ready to use them.
Mix Cake Ingredients
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. With a handheld or stand mixer, cream together butter, oil, and sugar until well combined, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add in the vanilla and give a quick mix. (I always use pure vanilla extract when baking. It really elevates your baked goods to a whole new level.) Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
In a small bowl, combine coconut milk and lemon juice. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk mixture to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, beating on low (or by hand) until just combined. Take care to not over-mix. Fold in the shredded coconut.
Bake the Cake
If you are using cake strips, wring them out and fit onto cake pans. Next, pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. If you cannot fit three 9-inch pans in your oven, it is okay to bake two at a time and the third after.
Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, run a knife along the inside edges of the pans and remove cakes from pans onto cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.
Pineapple Filling
In a medium saucepan, heat all ingredients, stirring frequently, until thickened (about 6-8 minutes) over medium heat. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top, touching the top of the filling so that a film does not form when cooling. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until completely chilled.
Make the Frosting
The frosting is a lovely coconut cream cheese. It is not overly sweet and pairs with the cake beautifully.
We start by beating together the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add in confectioners’ sugar, salt, coconut extract, and coconut milk. Beat on low until sugar is incorporated (about 1 minute) and then increase speed to medium and mix until fully combined. If your frosting is too thick, add a little coconut milk until you reach desired consistency. If too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar.
Assemble Cake and Decorate
To assemble cake, place one layer on a plate or cake stand and outline the edge with a perimeter of frosting. Fill with half of the chilled pineapple filling. Then, sprinkle a little shredded coconut on top. Add another cake layer, another perimeter of frosting and filling, and a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Place final layer of cake and decorate with remaining frosting and shredded coconut. Add optional pineapple flowers for décor, if desired.
How Should I Store this Cake?
Because this cake has a cream cheese frosting, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To keep cake that has been cut fresh, stick a piece of wax paper on the exposed section prior to covering and storing.
Can Pineapple Coconut Cake be frozen?
Yes! This cake can be frozen frosted or unfrosted for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap well and label with the cake name and date. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature prior to decorating or serving.
Tips
- Measure correctly – I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking. Because baking measurements need to be exact, using a scale helps to measure as precisely as possible. It quite honestly was a complete game changer for me when I first started using one! I would be lost without it now.
- Room temperature is important! When certain ingredients (eggs, cream cheese, butter, etc.) are listed as room temperature, there are scientific reasons behind this. At room temperature, these ingredients blend together better and result in a smoother batter. Ultimately, you will end up with a better final product!
- Level cakes – Whenever baking cakes in round pans, I use these cake strips to achieve a perfectly flat top instead of a domed top. This eliminates the need to trim the cake prior to decorating. They are very easy to use…simply soak them in water when you begin assembling your recipe. By the time you are ready to bake the cake, wring them out and place around cake pans. Perfectly level cakes…huzzah!
- Over-mixing – Take care to not over-mix the cake batter once the eggs have been added. When batter is mixed too much, it results in the gluten being activated. If this occurs, the cake may be dense and chewy.
- Checking too early – Try to not open the oven door too often while baking as this could cause issues with the cake rising. The sudden influx of cool air could actually stop the rising process and cause the cake to collapse.
- Three layer cakes – If you cannot fit three 9-inch pans in your oven, it is okay to bake two at a time and the third after.
My Preferred Tools
You may already have many of these items in your kitchen. I recommend the following for this recipe:
- Kitchen Scale – precisely measure ingredients
- Stand Mixer – to mix batter
- Mandoline – not required but is useful for slicing pineapple
- Mini Muffin Tin – to help shape pineapple flowers
- Cake Pans – to bake cake
- Cake Strips – to achieve level cakes
- Cooling Racks – to cool cake and dishwasher friendly!!
- Cake Turntable and Spatulas – excellent for decorating cakes
- Wilton Decorating Kit – piping tips, bags, couplers, and more for decorating cakes
- Master Decorating Kit – ultimate cake decorating tip set
- Cake Scraper Set – use these to scrape icing and create fun, easy designs on your cakes
- Cake Boards – sturdy, cardboard cake boards used to pick up your cake
If you liked this recipe, try our
Pineapple Coconut Cake
Pineapple Coconut Cake is a moist, coconut cake filled with layers of sweet pineapple filling, covered in a velvety coconut cream cheese frosting, and topped with shredded coconut and homemade pineapple flowers.
Ingredients
- COCONUT CAKE:
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ¾ cups (347 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, room temp
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat coconut milk, room temp
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- PINEAPPLE FILLING:
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
- ½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 8 oz (1 block) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 6 ½ - 7 cups (738 - 795 g) confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp coconut extract, optional
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
- 2 ½ - 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 Pineapple for pineapple flowers, for décor, optional
Directions
- Step 1 PINEAPPLE FLOWERS: If using pineapple flowers for décor, you may want to begin with them as they take several hours to set. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Remove outer shell of pineapple but do not core. Cut pineapple into extremely thin slices and then use paper towels to extract as much moisture as possible from the slices. If using food dye to color them, mix dye with a tiny amount of water and brush onto slices. Place on a wire cooling rack over a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 2-3 hours, or until almost completely dried. (You may need to flip over half way through.) After removing from oven, place each into a mini muffin tin or some other small container to help mold the flowers into desired shapes. Depending on how dry your flowers are, shaping may take anywhere from half an hour to a few hours.
- Step 2 PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 9” cake pans with vegetable shortening. Line the pans with parchment paper. Then, grease the parchment paper. Alternatively, spray cake pans with Pam Baking Spray (with flour). Soak cake strips in water if using them.
- Step 3 CAKE: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. With a handheld or stand mixer, cream together butter, oil, and sugar until well combined, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add in the vanilla and give a quick mix. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Step 4 In a small bowl, combine coconut milk and lemon juice. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk mixture to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, beating on low (or by hand) until just combined. Take care to not over-mix. Fold in shredded coconut.
- Step 5 BAKE: Wring out cake strips and fit onto cake pans (if applicable). Next, pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Then, run a knife along inside edges of pans and remove cakes from pans onto cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.
- Step 6 PINEAPPLE FILLING: In a medium saucepan, heat all ingredients, stirring frequently, until thickened (about 6-8 minutes) over medium heat. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top, touching the top of the filling so that a film does not form when cooling. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until completely chilled.
- Step 7 FROSTING: Beat together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer until smooth, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add in confectioners’ sugar, salt, coconut extract, and coconut milk. Beat on low until sugar is incorporated (about 1 minute) and then increase speed to medium and mix until fully combined. If frosting is too thick, add a little coconut milk until you reach desired consistency. If too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar.
- Step 8 ASSEMBLY: Place one layer of cake on a plate or cake stand and outline the edge with a perimeter of frosting. Fill with half of the chilled pineapple filling. Then, sprinkle a little shredded coconut on top. Add another cake layer, another perimeter of frosting and filling, and a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Place final layer of cake and decorate with remaining frosting and shredded coconut. Add optional pineapple flowers for décor, if desired.
- Step 9 STORAGE: Store cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To keep cake that has been cut fresh, stick a piece of wax paper on the exposed section prior to covering and storing.
- Step 10 MAKE AHEAD: After cake has cooled completely, you can wrap the cake layers individually in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight. Frosting can be covered and stored in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to assemble, let the frosting warm slightly at room temperature and give a quick whip.
- Step 11 FREEZE: This cake can be frozen frosted or unfrosted for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap well and label with the cake name and date. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature prior to decorating or serving.
- Step 12 NOTE: If you cannot fit three 9-inch pans in your oven, it is okay to bake two at a time and the third after.
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