Easy to make, extra moist, and totally delicious. This pineapple coconut cake is topped with a yummy lime frosting!
A simple banana snack cake filled with pineapple, coconut, and nuts, this is a perfect way to enjoy those ripe bananas sitting on the counter.
Why We Love this Recipe
Who doesn’t love the combination of fresh fruit like pineapple, crunchy pecans, and coconut? This is a great twist on a traditional banana cake.
Because of the banana and pineapple, it comes out just sweet enough and very moist!
It freezes well so it’s a great way to use up bananas and add a piece to your lunch box.
Ingredients & Variations
BANANAS Just like when making banana bread, choose bananas with a few spots on them for a better flavor and more sweetness.
PINEAPPLE This recipe uses crushed pineapple and you’ll want to leave the juices in. If you only have tidbits or chunks, you can pulse them in the blender a few times to get a crushed consistency.
COCONUT/NUTS Switch out the pecans for walnuts or even macadamia nuts! Lightly toast the coconut and pecans in a saute pan before putting in the recipe for extra flavor! No coconut? Add some extra finely chopped nuts.
FROSTING This recipe has the perfect lime-flavored frosting but even a simple buttercream or cream cheese frosting will work. So will whipped cream in a pinch!
How to Make Pineapple Coconut Cake
This recipe is easy and quick to pull together!
- Mix the dry ingredients, coconut, and pecans and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the bananas, pineapple, sugars and lime juice.
- Fold in the dry to the wet and spread in a prepared pan.
Frosting
For the frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter until fluffy and then add in the powdered sugar a bit at a time.
Lime zest flavors this frosting, I use a microplane grater to zest citrus fruit. While I flavor this frosting with lime, you can add orange and/or lemon zest too or your favorite extracts (coconut is great in this recipe).
Tips for the Perfect Snack Cake
- A glass casserole dish will take the cake a little bit longer to bake.
- A metal pan may produce a darker result on the bottom.
- Be sure to grease pans or muffin tins with shortening, butter, or pan release.
- Bake just until a toothpick comes out clean, do not overbake.
To test for doneness, insert a wooden pick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s ready!
Favorite Cakes
- Coconut Sheet Cake – extra moist & delicious
- Lemon Blueberry Cake – sweet & refreshing
- Texas Sheet Cake – chocolatey goodness!
- Hummingbird Cake – with a cream cheese icing
- The Best Carrot Cake – quick and easy to prepare!
- Classic Pound Cake Recipe – light & moist
- Pina Colada Cake – a tropical paradise
Did you love this Banana Snack Cake? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Pineapple Coconut Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 lime
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2 small bananas mashed, about ⅔ cup
- 1 cup crushed pineapple undrained
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
Lime Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 ounces butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 lime zested & juiced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9 pan. Using a zester, zest the green skin from the lime.
- In a small bowl combine flour, lime zest, baking soda, baking powder, coconut, pecans & a pinch of salt.
- In a medium bowl whisk together bananas, pineapple, eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon of lime juice.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients just until combined (do not overmix). Pour into prepared pan and bake 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Frosting
- With a mixer on medium low, cream together cream cheese and butter. Add in lime zest and 1 teaspoon lime juice. Mix in powdered sugar a bit at a time until incorporated. Beat on medium until fluffy.
- Spread over cooled cake and cut into 12 bars.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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Made this foir my campground family. Should I refrigerate it?
If you’ve frosted it, it can go in the fridge or a cooler. I leave it out at room temperature for a little bit before serving. If you haven’t frosted it, it can sit at room temperature for a couple of days.
Sounds like a tasty recipe that a friend of mine would like. Is this cake able to be mailed without going bad.
If you haven’t frosted it, it can sit at room temperature for a couple of days. I can’t say for sure how it would do in extreme heat should it be hot. You can always package the frosting separately as well and use gel packs or dry ice packs intended for shipping.
Holly
excellent cake.
I am gluten free so I used Bob’s Red Mill flour.
I was ok———would you suggest another gluten free flour please, and a substitute for sugar,
as I am ready to make again.
Thank you
I’ve only made this recipe as written so I can’t say for sure. If you try another substitute, let us know how it goes!
King Arthur’s Measure for Measure flour is foolproof and bakes a beautiful cake.
I absolutely love this cake! I was wondering what you think about zesting and juicing an orange instead of the lime? Also, do you think I could make cupcakes? If so, how do I figure the amount per cupcake and cooking time? Thanks for your help, keep cooking up good stuff!
Ooo, I haven’t tried it with an orange Susi, but that sounds like a fun twist! You would only need about 2 tablespoons orange juice though not the full orange juiced. For cupcakes, I would fill the cupcake tins ⅔ full and bake for 15-18 minutes using a toothpick to make sure they are fully cooked.
Thanks Holly! Im baking today so I’ll let you know.
Could I use a boxed cake mix for this?
We haven’t tried making this recipe with a boxed cake mix Gagirl. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
YOU MADE THE TASTE COME TO ME IN A VERY GOOD MOUTH
Very, very, good. And easy!
Excellent cake. I would definitely make this again. I am going to try it as cupcakes next time.
What about using a 13 x 9 inch pan?
There wouldn’t be enough batter to fill a 9×13 pan with this recipe.
I meant if I doubled the recipe, would it turn out okay in a 13 x 9 pan? Thanks a bunch.
Oh sorry Molly. :) I haven’t tried doubling this in a 9×13 pan so I can’t say for sure. You could certainly double it into two 9×9 pans.
Awesome recipes
can you make this in a loaf pan?
I am sure you could do that Elda, make sure to not overfill the pan, and you may need to use 2 pans depending upon the size of your loaf pan!
Can you leave the lime out going to make it but forgot to check recipe and forgot to get lime??
Yes, this recipe would work just fine without the lime.
Thank you
Yum-o!
This recipe looks wonderful! This will be the next cake I make.
This cake was delicious! I shared with friends and was asked for the recipe. I will tell them where to find it.
:) So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing Wendy!
Do you leave the lime zest in long strips, from the zester, or do you chop them up a bit? Wouldn’t it be easier to use a microplane, or the small holes on a grater, to get tiny pieces of the lime zest?
I use a microplane to zest the limes. If they were in strips, you would definitely want to chop them up a bit. :)