This tropical Crushed Pineapple Cake with Lime Frosting is an absolute delight. Filled with sweet crushed pineapple and juice, this cake is light yet satisfying. It’s iced with a simple 3-ingredient lime frosting and finished off with a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Made into a sheet pan cake, it’s easy to slice into smaller servings to make the perfect snack cake.
What is Crushed Pineapple Cake?
It’s made with canned crushed pineapple and yes, you include all that glorious pineapple juice! The texture of this is somewhat different to a regular cake. You’ll notice the crumb is slightly stringy, not in a bad way though. It’s like this because pineapple is naturally stringy and therefore, you’ll get this same texture in your cake. With the small chunks of pineapple throughout, each mouthful is a true delight to enjoy.
A Tropical Lime Frosting To Match
Paired with the fresh lime frosting and shredded coconut, this pineapple cake makes for a tropical snack or dessert that you can enjoy with your loved ones all year round. It’s baked in a rectangle pan which creates a sheet pan cake. A pan cake is a great way to serve smaller slices/squares instead of traditional larger triangles.
Key Ingredients
Cake
Plain all purpose flour as the foundation to your cake.
Granulated sugar adds sweetness, structure and helps keep this cake fresh. You can use either raw or white granulated sugar for this recipe.
Baking powder as the leavening agent, helping give this cake rise.
Eggs bind the ingredients together, adds height, flavour and colour.
Canned crushed pineapple + juice for that tropical and glorious pineapple.
Vanilla extract adds extra flavour.
Lime Frosting
Icing/powdered sugar as the foundation to your frosting.
Unsalted butter adds moisture and structure.
Lime juice adds an extra element of tropical goodness. For best results use freshly squeezed lime juice or bottled if you cannot get fresh lime.
Shredded coconut to sprinkle on top of your frosting. Adds flavour and a slight crunch plus it adds to our tropical cake!
How To Make Crushed Pineapple Cake
Cake
- First let’s get your oven preheated to 180ºC (356ºF). Now lightly grease a 7-inch x 11-inch (17cm x 27cm) rectangle baking tray with butter then line the base with a sheet of parchment paper. Dust the sides with a light layer of plain flour. Alternatively, if you don’t have a non stick pan, grease and line the entire pan including the sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add your flour, sugar and then the baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
- Make a well in the centre and add your eggs. With a whisk, lightly whisk the eggs to break them up in the well (refer to images for a visual).
- Add the canned crushed pineapple along with all of the juice in the can. Then add your vanilla and using a spatula, fold and mix until it’s incorporated. Ensuring all of the flour is mixed through but be careful to not over-mix your batter, just until everything is incorporated.
- Pour your batter into the lined pan, spreading it out evenly with the spatula. Transfer to the oven and bake it for 22-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. It will be lightly golden around the edges and pale in the middle.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lime Frosting
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the icing sugar, melted butter and the lime juice. Use a whisk to mix it altogether until well combined, it will turn thick. Continue to whisk it until it’s smooth with no lumps of sugar remain.
- Once your cake has cooled, spoon the frosting onto the cake and spread it on top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle shredded coconut over the frosting then set it aside for 30 minutes or until the frosting has set. Slice into squares and enjoy! Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for 4-5 days.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Try and find a 430g can of crushed pineapple, if you cannot get your hands on one that is that large, use smaller cans to make up the 430g. When adding the crushed pineapple, include all of the juice as well, delicious!
- When you add your eggs, I have detailed in the recipe method to make a well in the in centre of your dry flour mixture and then crack your eggs into this well. Then using your whisk, lightly whisk the eggs to break them up. This just makes it easier for them to blend through the batter when you mix everything together. Plus its one less dish you have to clean up afterwards if you had to whisk your eggs separately 😉
- If you don’t have access to fresh limes for your frosting, use bottled lime juice instead. However I do highly recommend freshly squeezed lime juice, it’s the best!
- When you make the frosting, after you whisk it, it will begin to gradually firm up so it’s best to immediately spread it over the cake when it’s ready and mixed.
Looking for more easy cake recipes? Here are some favourites:
Vanilla & Wild Blueberry Sheet Cake with Lemon Syrup Icing
If you make this recipe please be sure to let me know how you go in the comments below and tag me on Instagram with your delicious photos & video! I love to see what you guys are making from the blog and enjoying with your loved ones.
Crushed Pineapple Cake with Lime Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups plain all purpose flour
- ½ cup raw or white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs each weighing approx. 55g-60g in shell
- 1 x 430g canned crushed pineapple
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lime Frosting
- 1 ½ cups icing/powdered sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (356ºF). Lightly grease a 7-inch x 11-inch (17cm x 27cm) rectangle baking tray with butter then line the base with a sheet of parchment paper. Dust the sides with a light layer of plain flour. Alternatively, if you don’t have a non stick pan, grease and line the entire pan including the sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar and baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
- Make a well in the centre and add eggs. With a whisk, lightly whisk to break up eggs in the well (refer to above images for a visual).
- Add canned crushed pineapple along with all of the juice in the can. Then add vanilla and using a spatula, fold and mix until incorporated. Ensuring all flour is mixed through but be careful to not over-mix, just until everything is incorporated.
- Pour batter into lined pan, spreading it out evenly with the spatula.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. It will be lightly golden around the edges and pale in the middle.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
- Remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lime Frosting
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add icing sugar, melted butter and lime juice. Use a whisk to mix it altogether until well combined, it will turn thick. Continue to whisk until smooth and no lumps of sugar remain.
- Once cake is cooled, spoon frosting onto cake and spread it on top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle shredded coconut over the frosting. Set aside for 30 minutes or until the frosting has set.
- Slice into squares and enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for 4-5 days.
Susan says
Can you use a 9x13 pan for this cake
Samantha says
Hi Susan, if this cake is baked in a 9x13 pan, it will be a lot thinner and shorter in height, as that size pan has a larger surface area. I recommend the 7x11 pan however, you can try baking it in a 9x13 but the cake won't be as high. Hope that helps and good luck! Sam x