Pineapple Cake help please

[Janet H]

So... I have been asked to make a pineapple cake for a friends bash and she has some requests. I asked her what her favorite flavors and cake preferences were and she said pineapple upside down cake and that old fashioned toasted coconut frosting that her mom used to put on top of a busy day cake. (simple yellow cake). She does not like "frosting" and by that she means butter cream, cream cheese type icings. Sooo.... I'm thinking these two concepts might be combined but am a little nervous about messing with recipes I'm finding online.

Problem 1: I've found this cake recipe: Easy Pineapple Cake Recipe - Allrecipes.com that looks promising but the reviewers are suggesting reducing the amount of sugar and adding some fat; I'm nervous about making this change.

Problem 2: I've found this intriguing looking crunchy topping: Pineapple and coconut crunch cake | Crummb which was intended to go on a yellow cake mix. It looks like the crumble top is made like a compound butter, sliced (or pressed) and placed carefully on top prior to baking. If I did the math correctly the ingredient list is:

1/2 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C corn flakes
15 oz crushed pineapple
1/3 C unsweetened coconut

​

The topping strikes me as a great idea but possibly too wet (maybe my math is off).

What do you think about the likelihood of such a scheme?
Does anyone have an excellent pineapple cake recipe (which pineapple in the cake instead of on top)?

Help ?

 

[Alix]

I have a pineapple muffin/loaf recipe with the pineapple in the batter. I think you could put the topping on it. I'll go dig it out.

 

[Addie]

I use the Duncan Hines Pineapple Cake mix. It calls for a box of vanilla instant mix. You just add it to the boxed cake mix. It calls for one cup of water. I replaced the water with the juice from the can of pineapple rings. It didn't quite measure one full cup so I added about two tablespoons of water. The cake was such a success that my daughter and her husband each ate two slices immediately upon receiving it. And her daughter ate the rest in one sitting. She couldn't stop. And she told her mother that for her birthday, she didn't want a balery store cake. She wanted the pineapple cake from Grandma. If she couldn't have it, then she didn't want a party at all. Just skip her birthday. In the meantime she would be very happy if I would bake another one real soon. Using the juice from the rings is what made the difference. It was truly a "pineapple" cake.

One note. They suggested making it in a cast iron pan. I don't have one so I used my aluminum 12 inch saute pan instead. Came out perfect and no sticking.

 

[Alix]

1 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded coconut

Put pineapple, juice, egg and oil in the blender. Buzz til smooth. Add in the dry ingredients and pulse til a batter forms. (I sometimes add 1/4 cup of flour if I'm making a loaf not muffins)

Place in muffin tins (makes 16) and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Loaf pans for 40+ minutes.

Give it a go and put some of that topping on at the last minute to crisp it up. Pictures please!

 

[Janet H]

Thanks posting this