Pineapple Coconut Upside Down Cake

If you're a fan of tropical vacations and piña coladas, you're going to swoon over this pineapple coconut upside down cake. It's a moist and fruity double-layer cake finished with a cream cheese frosting and large flake toasted coconut.

It's an absolute showstopper dessert, and you don't need to be a skilled bake to make it. It's simply made with pineapple slices at the bottom that, when sprinkled with a bit of sugar, become caramelized and candy-like.

The easy pineapple-infused cream cheese frosting has a rich tangy taste and creamy texture that works so well with the other flavors in this fresh cake.

When to serve pineapple upside down cake

This fruity coconut pineapple upside down cake is perfect for pineapple lovers. It's a stunning dessert for special occasions, Mother's Day, bridal showers, or anytime you're after something fruity and sweet.

This cake is without a doubt one of our favorite ways to bake with pineapple. It adds that wow factor to special occasions and dinner parties, and the leftovers taste wonderful with a cup of tea.

Its lightness makes it a great cake for the spring and summer months. However you choose to serve it, we guarantee it will be a huge hit!

Key ingredients you'll need

Don't let the list of ingredients scare you because most of the items you're likely to have in your kitchen already. Here's everything you need to make this pineapple upside down coconut cake from scratch:

• Butter – butter adds a wonderful richness and moisture to this cake.
• Granulated sugar – granulated sugar is ideal for cakes because it blends well for an evenly distributed sweetness throughout.
• Pineapple rounds + crushed pineapple – since it's really all about the pineapple, we add crushed pineapple into the batter, and the pineapple rounds get baked at the bottom of the cake.
• All-purpose flour – we use regular all-purpose flour. Feel free to use a gluten free 1:1 flour blend if needed.
• Baking powder – to make the cake rise.
• Cinnamon and sea salt – for flavor
• Large eggs – if you have time to let your eggs come to room temperature, it does help in the baking process. Eggs are a key ingredient in helping everything rise.
• Vegetable oil – a neutral vegetable oil like organic canola oil, refined olive oil, or coconut oil.
• Buttermilk – buttermilk gives this cake a lighter, more tender texture. You can buy buttermilk from the grocery store, or make it yourself using milk plus half a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
• Dark rum – we use dark rum for its rich bold flavor, but you can use light rum if that's what you have on hand. Bourbon is nice in this recipe, too!
• Pecans – pecans add a nice crunch and have a sweet, buttery flavor. Other nuts like walnuts, cashews, or macadamia nuts taste great, too!
• Fine shredded coconut + large flake coconut – the fine shredded coconut goes into the batter, and the large flaky coconut is what we use on the outside of the cake.

Ingredients in the pineapple cream cheese frosting

• Butter – when it comes to frosting, using a good quality butter makes a difference. Just make sure it's at room temperature when you're making the frosting. We use unsalted butter but if you use salted, just omit the added salt.
• Cream cheese – any type of plain cream cheese works here, and you can use light if desired.
• Powdered sugar – powdered sugar adds sweetness and dissolves easily into the frosting.
• Pineapple juice – reserve the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rounds for a this sweet fruity frosting.
• Sea salt – to enhance the other flavors.

How to make buttermilk for baking

Making buttermilk at home is quick and easy. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for every cup of milk. Stir and then let it sit for a few minutes to curdle, then it's ready to use!

This recipe uses ½ cup of buttermilk. So to make the right amount for the recipe, use ½ cup of milk and ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

How to make pineapple coconut upside down cake

This pineapple upside down cake with coconut is fruity, fun, and perfect for parties. Here's how to make it in a few simple steps:

1. While your oven preheats, prepare the cake pans. Layer the bottoms with parchment paper, and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Drain the pineapple rings, making sure to reserve the juice from one of them. Cover the bottoms of the cake pans with the pineapple, and sprinkle with another bit of sugar.
3. Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones until just mixed. Then, gently fold in the pecans and shredded coconut.
4. Pour the cake batter into the two cake pans and then bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool for a few minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Toast the large flake coconut until it's just golden. Watch it closely as it burns easily!
6. Once the cake is cool, make the icing by creaming everything together until it's smooth.
7. Spread the icing over the top of one of the cooled cakes, then layer the other cake on top. Ice the sides (but not the top), then press toasted coconut into the sides. Voilà!

Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.

Tip: if you'd like a little more color on the top of your cake, simply place one of the cakes on a baking tray and broil it for a few minutes in the oven until it starts to brown slightly on top.

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Pineapple Coconut Upside Down Cake Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

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This pineapple coconut upside down cake tastes like a tropical dream! It's a light, moist, and fruity cake with a sweet pineapple cream cheese frosting. It's simpler to make than it looks, and it's ready in just an hour!

12 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar (plus 2 tablespoons for the cake pans)
• ▢ 2 14-ounce cans pineapple rounds (reserve the juice)
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 cup canned crushed pineapple
• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ ½ cup buttermilk
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons dark rum (optional)
• ▢ 1 cup chopped pecans
• ▢ ½ cup fine shredded coconut
• ▢ 1 cup large flaked coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ ½ cup butter (at room temperature)
• ▢ ½ cup cream cheese (at room temperature)
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut out 2 pieces of parchment paper the size of your baking pans. Grease the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans with butter. Place the parchment circles in the bottom of the pans and grease the top of the parchment paper, too. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar into the pans.
  1 tablespoon butter
  
• Drain the pineapple slices and reserve the juice from one of them. Place the pineapple slices in both of the prepared cake pans. You should be able to get 7 slices per pan. Sprinkle the tops of the pineapple with another 1 tablespoon of sugar.
  2 14-ounce cans pineapple rounds
  
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, crushed pineapple, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and dark rum. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once and whisk to combine. Stir in the pecans and finely shredded coconut.
  2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 2 large eggs, 1 cup canned crushed pineapple, ½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 ½ tablespoons dark rum, 1 cup chopped pecans, ½ cup fine shredded coconut, ½ cup granulated sugar
  
• Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes. Invert them onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely. (See notes.)
  
• Place the large flaked coconut on a baking tray and, when the cakes come out of the oven, put the coconut in. Toast the coconut for 2-3 minutes then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Watch the coconut VERY carefully as it toasts (or burns!) easily.
  1 cup large flaked coconut
  
• While the cakes are cooling, prepare the icing. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar, pineapple juice, and sea salt and beat until combined.
  ½ cup butter, ½ cup cream cheese, 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
  
• Once the cakes have cooled completely, spread the icing over the top of one of the cakes then place the other cake on top. Ice the sides (but not the top!) of the cakes and then sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the icing.
  

Video

Notes

If you'd like a little more color on the top of your cake simply place one of the cakes on a baking tray and broil it for a few minutes in the oven until it starts to brown slightly on top.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice (of 12), Calories: 549kcal (27%), Carbohydrates: 53g (18%), Protein: 6g (12%), Fat: 36g (55%), Saturated Fat: 15g (94%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 65mg (22%), Sodium: 308mg (13%), Potassium: 190mg (5%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 33g (37%), Vitamin A: 470IU (9%), Vitamin C: 3mg (4%), Calcium: 75mg (8%), Iron: 2mg (11%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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