Crushed Pineapple Cake with Lime Frosting

🍍 Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Perfect for beginner bakers

• One bowl cake

• Filled with crushed pineapple

• Creamy lime and coconut frosting

🥝 Serving Suggestions

• A Scoop of Ice Cream: Vanilla ice cream pairs wonderfully, but tropical flavors like coconut or mango can enhance the cake’s tropical profile.

• Fresh Fruit: Serve slices of the cake with fresh fruits like sliced kiwi, strawberries, or even fresh pineapple wedges to contrast the cake’s richness.

• Toasted the coconut: Instead of using plain shredded coconut, toast it instead to add a lovely crunch and enhance the tropical vibe.

• Nuts: Instead of sprinkling over coconut try chopped toasted pecans, macadamia, or walnuts instead to offer a delightful crunch and contrast.

• Beverages: Pair the cake with tropical beverages like my vitamin C smoothie, a rosé mimosa, piña colada, mango lassi, or this coconut lemonade.

• Rum Sauce or Drizzle: Enhance the tropical flair with a warm rum sauce or a simple rum drizzle. Or pair it with a mug of my rum hot chocolate.

📋 Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

There is a full and detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• All-purpose flour: Is also known as plain flour in Australia. Make sure to accurately measure your flour and basic baking ingredients for the best results.

• Granulated sugar: Use either golden/raw or white granulated sugar.

• Baking soda: Do not substitute this with baking powder. To check if your baking soda is still active, use this handy tip.

• Eggs: For best results, bring your eggs to room temperature before starting your cake.

• Canned crushed pineapple: Use canned crushed pineapple, including its juice, for the cake. If unavailable, substitute with canned pineapple chunks, pieces, slices, or tidbits in juice. Pulse them in a food processor with the juice to achieve the consistency of crushed pineapple. This recipe hasn’t been tested with fresh or dried pineapple.

• Powdered sugar: Is also known as icing sugar and confectioners sugar.

• Unsalted butter: Use butter that comes in a block. Can be substituted with salted butter.

• Lime juice: For the best results use freshly squeezed lime juice. If not available, bottled lime juice will do. Lemon juice or orange juice can serve as substitutes.

• Unsweetened shredded coconut: In Australia, long dried coconut pieces are called “shredded coconut,” while in the U.S., they’re often termed “unsweetened flaked coconut.” For this cake’s frosting, use any available form: desiccated, shredded, or coconut flakes. I used shredded coconut.

🥣 Step By Step Instructions (with photos)

There is a full and detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step one: Preheat oven to 180ºC (356ºF) fan-forced.

Lightly grease a 7-inch x 11-inch (17cm x 27cm) rectangle cake tin with butter and line the base with parchment paper. Dust sides with flour, or if you’re not using a non-stick tin, line the entire tin with parchment paper. Set aside.

Step two: In a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda and sugar. Whisk until well combined. 

Step three: In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork.

Step four: Add the whisked eggs, the entire can of crushed pineapple (plus the juice), and the vanilla.

Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold and mix until incorporated and no visible streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix.

Step five: Pour batter into the prepared tin, spreading it out evenly with the spatula. 

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. It will be lightly golden.

Step six: Remove from oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. 

Step seven: Remove from the tin and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Step eight: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift over the powdered sugar.

Pour in the melted butter and lime juice. Whisk until well combined, smooth and thick, there should be no lumps of sugar.

Step nine: Spread frosting onto the cooled cake and sprinkle with the shredded coconut.

Set aside for 30 minutes or until the frosting has set. Enjoy! 

💭 Expert Tips

• Measure your baking ingredients accurately: to achieve the best results. Check out my helpful guide on how to measure basic ingredients.

• Use the juice: Incorporate all contents of the canned crushed pineapple, juice included.

• Avoid overmixing: Mixing the batter excessively can result in a dense, tough cake. Combine the wet ingredients with the flour just until there are no visible flour streaks.

• Bake right away: After mixing the cake batter, transfer it to the oven without delay. The baking soda activates upon adding liquids, initiating the formation of air bubbles to create a fluffy cake crumb.

• How to check the cake is baked: Test the cake’s doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, the cake is ready.

• Frosting: Once you whisk the frosting and it begins to thicken, promptly spread it on the cake to avoid it firming up too much, making it harder to spread.

⏲️ Storage Instructions

Store: Once cooled and frosted, store your cake in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

It’s not recommended to freeze the cake with the frosting. It can alter the texture and taste of the frosting, losing its smooth and creamy consistency.

How To Freeze

1. Freeze the cake without the lime frosting, either in individual slices or as a whole cake.
2. Wrap the cake tightly in either plastic wrap or a sheet of parchment paper.
3. Then, wrap it again in tin foil for added protection.
4. Label the wrapped cake with the date of freezing for easy reference.
5. Store the cake in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How To Thaw

Once thawed, you can proceed to frost the cake with the lime coconut frosting.

Refrigerator Thawing:

This gradual thawing process helps retain the cake’s moisture and texture.

1. Remove the wrapped cake from the freezer.
2. Place the cake in the refrigerator, keeping it completely wrapped.
3. Let the cake thaw slowly for several hours or overnight.

Room Temperature Thawing:

This quick thawing method ensures the cake softens fast.

1. Keep the cake wrapped in plastic wrap and tin foil.
2. Let it sit at room temperature for a few hours until softened.
3. Avoid direct sunlight or heat exposure during thawing.

Partial Thawing for Slicing:

If you froze the entire cake but want only one or a few slices, this process allows you to enjoy individual slices while keeping the rest fresh for later.

1. Remove the cake from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Allow it to partially thaw until it softens enough to be easily sliced.
3. Slice the desired portions.
4. Refreeze any remaining cake portions you don’t plan to serve immediately.

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