Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Pineapple Coconut Cake came from my podcast guest, Sam Harris. Make sure you listen to his episode The Creative, Capable Nan and Her Cake That Came Full Circle while you make his Nan's Simple Pineapple Coconut Cake!
This British Pineapple Upside Down cake is a delight to eat. It is a Goldilocks cake, meaning is sweet, but not too sweet, dense, but not too dense. If you are a little apprehensive about the coconut, don't be, it's not an overwhelming flavor in the cake. My family inhaled this recipe within the first few hours of it coming out of the oven, and an added bonus is you can't really mess this recipe up.
Looking for more fruit-based cakes? Check out this Clifton House Tunisian Orange and Almond Flour Cake recipe or this Vasilopita: Greek New Years Orange Cake recipe.
Sam's Memories of Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Somehow, it ended up as the family staple for 10 years, as both my uncle and I were obsessed. For years, every single time we visited my Nan, I had an entire cake to take home with me. (Nan usually made 4 so we had cake at dinner and then one each for my uncle and I). This might have been a little too much for other members of the family, but complaints only started after about year 5.
-Sam Harris, guest of The Storied Recipe
Top Tip
Beating the egg whites separately makes it a little fluffier, not required if you are short on time or prefer it slightly denser.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Coconut Topping
- Brown sugar - I used light brown sugar because dark brown sugar becomes extremely dark when it caramelizes.
- Butter
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
Pineapple Layer
- Canned pineapple tidbits/pieces (or crushed pineapple) - You can use fresh pineapple but it might make the cake a little drier so you will need to add some extra pineapple juice.
Cake
- Dry ingredients : All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, white sugar
- Wet ingredients: Eggs, butter, coconut milk, vanilla extract, pineapple juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare the cake pans
- For the coconut topping: Melt the butter and add in the brown sugar and the coconut flakes
- For the cake: Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat eggs into stiff peaks. In another bowl, add in half of the sugar and the butter. Add in the rest of the sugar, coconut milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture. Fold in the egg whites.
- To assemble: Evenly spread the topping on the bottom of the cake pans. Place the pineapple on top and then pour the batter on top of the pineapple.
- Bake until top is crisp and brown. Let cool and then serve.
Crushed Pineapple vs Pineapple Slices
Most of the American Pineapple Upside Down cake recipes that you will find have the distinctive look of sliced pineapple in circular patterns on the top of the cake. This recipe however uses tidbits and coconut flakes that makes it look a little like a grass skirt (which I think looks just as festive).
How Much Should My Cake Rise?
Sam says that the cake should rise to the height of the baking pan. My first two attempts didn't go so well because the inside of the cake is very tender, it is easy for the cake to collapse. I really recommend beating the eggs to a fluffy consistency to get the recommended height on this cake.
Coconut Milk vs Coconut Cream vs Cream of Coconut
Coconut cream, cream of coconut, and cream of coconut are all different products. What adds a bit of a more confusing layer to this is, depending where you live, these classifications and names differ. I went into this topic a little during the podcast episode, but Sam and I discovered that though his Nan's recipe said cream of coconut, that was actually referring to coconut milk (or coconut cream, but I used coconut milk and the cake turned out just fine). To clarify this further, I will break down each of the classifications that we have in the use below:
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is coconut water and fat (coconut flesh) but more watery because it has a higher consistency of water.
Coconut Cream
Coconut cream is not sweet and exactly like coconut milk but with a higher percentage of fat so it is creamer and richer.
Cream of Coconut
Cream of coconut is coconut water, fat AND added sugar and is used for desserts and drinks. Think Piña Coladas.
Equipment
- 2 8-inch cake pans
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer (optional)
- Parchment paper
Storage
- Can refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- If you want to freeze the cake, it is good for up to 3 months if properly stored.
More British Recipes
More Cake Recipes
Listen to Sam's Episode
PrintRecipe
Simple Pineapple Coconut Cake
- Total Time: 1 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 servings 1x
Description
The perfect balance of flavors are found in this pineapple coconut cake-light yet moist, with just the right amount of sweetness. A simple dessert that's not too dense and not too airy, making it ideal for any occasion. PLEASE NOTE: This recipe makes TWO cakes.
Ingredients
Coconut Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Pineapple Layer
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple tidbits (or crushed pineapple), juice reserved, divided *See Note 1
Sponge
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoon baking powder (I think 2 tsp)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs (divide yolks and whites)
- 2 cup white sugar, divided
- 16 tbsp (two sticks) butter
- 1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk *See Note 2
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pineapple juice (from the tidbits)
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode:
Make sure you listen to Sam's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, "The Creative, Capable Nan and Her Cake That Came Full Circle" while you make his amazing Pineapple Coconut Cake.
Make The Recipe
PLEASE NOTE: This recipe makes TWO cakes.
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line the bottom of TWO 8" or 9" round or square baking pans with parchment paper; grease the sides with Pam or butter. (If you just want to make ONE cake, now is the time to cut the recipe in half.) Pay special attention to the crease where the bottom and edges meet; the lovely caramelized top can easily get stuck in the edges.
Make The Topping
- Melt ¼ cup of butter in a microwave-safe container and heat until warm, ~30 secs.
- Add brown sugar and coconut and mix into a paste.
Make The Sponge (Cake)
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- OPTIONAL - Whip egg whites in a metal bowl with a clean electric mixer until stiff peaks are formed. (whisk with a strong arm otherwise) *See Note 3
- Beat ½ cup white sugar and 8 tablespoons butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy.
- Add the remaining ½ cup white sugar, coconut milk, reserved pineapple juice, egg yolks, and vanilla extract; mix thoroughly.
- Add the flour mixture; stir batter slowly until fully combined.
- Fold in the whipped egg whites using a spatula.
Assemble
- Spread the brown sugar paste over the bottoms of the prepared pans.
- Arrange pineapple tidbits on top of the coconut.
- Pour in the batter.
Cook and Serve
- Bake in the preheated oven until sponge tops are brown and crisp. A toothpick inserted into the centres comes out clean, anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
- Let them cool for about +20 minutes before inverting onto a serving dish.
Notes
- Note 1: If you use fresh pineapple, make sure to add extra pineapple juice because fresh with be drier than canned. The amount of pineapple is flexible.
- Note 2: The coconut cream in the sponge is optional; you can just make a vanilla sponge.
- Note 3: Beating the egg whites separately makes it a little fluffier, not required if you are short on time or prefer it slightly denser.
- Note 4: This recipe makes two cakes. This is in keeping with the spirit of Sam's Nan, who always liked to send a cake home with him. Also, the cake is "moreish", as Sam says, which means you can easily eat quite a large slice. Making two ensures there's enough for a large family gathering. Finally, I prefer to use all of a can of coconut once I open it. Feel free to cut in half! OR, feel free to make a lovely cream cheese frosting and turn this into a layer cake 😉
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50-60 min
- Cuisine: Baking
Liz says
Coconut milk listed. Then cream of coconut in directions. Says fat only. Two different products. Please clarify.
Hannah Neeper says
Hi Liz, I’m sorry for the confusion! I used coconut milk, not cream of coconut, in the recipe. In the U.S., “cream of coconut” refers to a sweetened coconut milk, but in some places (like the U.K.) that term is used for what we call coconut milk. I have updated the recipe instructions to just say coconut milk. Thank you for pointing that out!