Pineapple Sheet Cake flavored and moistened with crushed pineapple and topped with a sweet icing laced with shredded coconut, and sprinkled with pecans is a wonderful dessert to make to feed a crowd.
With the pineapple, coconut, and pecans it’s perfect for summer.
Crushed pineapple and vegetable oil help the cake stay exceptionally moist so it can be baked well in advance. It’s super easy to make. No mixer needed. The icing does take 10 minutes of stir time, but that’s the most involved part.
Oftentimes Pineapple Sheet Cake is topped with a cream cheese frosting, but this icing is made from butter, evaporated milk, and sugar. Basically the same ingredients you would use to make caramel icing. The coconut is added into the icing to give it some extra sweetness and a little texture contrast. You can mix the pecans into the icing as well, but I like to sprinkle them on top.
Typically pineapple sheet cake would be baked in a sheet pan, but I baked mine in a 13X9-inch pan to give it a little more height. It’s so hard to take good pictures of flat cake! If you’re serving it at a potluck or picnic, a sheet pan is nice to use. It looks like more cake 🙂 and is easier to slice into squares.
But anyway you cook it, Pineapple Sheet Cake is sure to be enjoyed by all. Except pineapple haters. I have a few of those in my family.
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Try These Other Delicious Pineapple Desserts:
- Pineapple Carrot Cake
- Pineapple 7-Up Cake
- Pineapple Coconut Macadamia Pie
- Pineapple Delight
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Watch the short video below to see how to make Pineapple Sheet Cake.
Pineapple Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup Challenge butter, cut into chunks
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13X9-inch pan or a sheet pan.
- Combine all cake ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until evenly combined and then pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes if using a 13X9-inch pan or 20 -25 minutes if using a sheet pan.
- Make icing while the cake bakes. Combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then lower heat. Simmer and stir for 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut to the icing. Pour icing over cake. Sprinkle with pecans. Let cake cool before cutting.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally published June 9, 2014.
Recipe adapted from Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Cookbook: A Celebration of Traditional Southern Dishes that Made Miss Mary Bobo’s an American Legend
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link.
Maybe I missed something, but is the pineapple natural juice or sweetened?
Natural juice. There’s plenty of sugar added to the batter to sweeten the cake.
If using the baking sheet-what size?
I would use a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan.
I am wondering if you can substitute splenda for the sugar as we have a few diabetics over here? I sub it in most other dessert recipes, and they always turn out fine! Would hate to miss out on this delicious looking recipe of yours!
Hi Melissa! I really don’t have much experience baking with Splenda. If it has worked for you making similar cakes it should work just fine.
I just made this cake and it is every bit as yummy as it looks in the picture, my pot luck is not until tomorrow, should I refrigerate over night or is ok to sit out?
It should be fine to leave it out overnight. Hope everyone enjoys it!
it is a big hit…. everyone loved it – now I have to print the recipe for everyone 🙂
Thank you !!!
This cake looks divine! I want to make it for a pig roast we’re having next weekend. Would you make any alterations to the recipe to make an actual “sheet” cake? I’m guessing just decrease the baking time?
Yes, that’s the only alteration you need to make. Hope everyone enjoys it. I think it will be perfect for a pig roast!
Can the cake be made in a 9 x 9 pan instead so it is thicker??
I think that should work. Just increase the cooking time.
Made this last weekend. It went together very easily, put it into a 13×9 pan. Toasted the coconut before adding it to the cooked frosting. My frosting did soak into the hot cake, but it still looked and tasted amazing! Thought of subbing brown sugar for half of the granulated sugar, either in the cake or frosting. Making it again this Saturday. I did note that other recipes did not use the oil.
I made this cake today. It turned out awesome!
So glad it turned out well for you Leandria!
This cake is so delicious! The frosting tastes like caramel. Yum! I will make this again & again!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Betty! The frosting is sweet and addictive isn’t it? 🙂
I made this today but I used condensed milk instead of evaporated milk because that is what I had in the pantry! I added about 1/4 cup of half & half and used the butter the recipe called for. I did cook and stir for 10 minutes. Mine came out thicker I imagine than the original recipe but when I put it on my cake right out of the oven, it held up and didn’t all sink into the cake. I also cheated and used a cake mix. I drained the pineapple to see how much juice there was and then I added just enough pineapple juice (water would also work) to equal the cup of liquid the cake mix called for. Looking at the pictures posted of the cake in the pan, I think mine might be a little thicker, I used a 9/13 cake pan. It is delicious. I’ll try the original recipe after I restock my pantry! I imagine it’s just as yummy.
Oh wow! Yours sounds like it might be even better Ginger 🙂
Thanks for sharing how you made it. I’m sure others might want to use a cake mix.
Love to try the cake . I love pineapple and coconut. Can the icing be made without the coconut? My friends birthday is coming up and I would love to make her this cake,but she done not like coconut? Love recipes!
Yes, you can leave the coconut out. Hope you and your friend enjoy the cake 🙂
So glad to read your reply to this question…I was just getting ready to ask! (I love coconut but my hubby doesnt…but he absolutely LOVES pineapple so I have to make this for him soon!)
FAAAABulous recipe! Absolutely mouth-watering. Thanks ever so much for sharing at Weekend Potluck. Pinning!
I made the icing as directed, however it seeped into the cake and now I have coconut flakes just laying on top.
What did I do wrong?
Hmmm. Not sure. Was it really runny? It should have been thick enough that it wouldn’t have done that. I know you probably don’t want to make it again after that happened, but just wanted to suggest for other people making it that maybe it would be better to let the cake cool first and even let the icing cool some before pouring it on the cake. Sorry it didn’t turn out right for you.
I just made it and it was a hit at church tonight!!! Sooo good! You have to cook the icing until it’s slightly thick. I turned my back waiting for it to come to a boil, & it was really bubbling! And I probably simmered it longer. I make German Chocolate Cake every year for my husband’s birthday, and the frosting is similar. I cooked it in a nonstick pan, so if your pan isn’t nonstick, be sure you keep stirring. Thanks, Christin, for sharing!!!
I’m so glad it was a hit at your church Shirley! Thanks for the tip about cooking it long enough. Your husband is a lucky man to get German Chocolate Cake every year for his birthday 🙂
Cake is my weakness and pineapple is my favorite, so this recipe is a home run for me!! Pinning and can’t wait to try it out at parties and BBQ’s this summer. Also, you are the only other “Christin” I have ever met 🙂 Have a great weekend!
I have a serious sheet cake weakness and have recently rediscovered my love of pineapple. This is awesome!
Dang doogly – this looks awesome! So moist and decadent!
Such a pretty cake Christin…I love the pineapple in the cake and the icing just look awesome…thanks for the recipe!
Hope you are enjoying your week 😀
Oh my golly – that looks so good! I’m imagining it with fresh pineapple – definitely going on my list of recipes to try! Thanks 🙂
That cake looks absolutely unbelievable! I love pineapple flavor in cakes!
Oh boy, I’d love a piece of this right now! You can just see how light and moist it is! Yum!
We love love love pineapple at our house so I know that this cake would be a hit! Especially with all the coconut and pecans – love these tropical flavors and it looks so moist and yummy!