Easy Pineapple Coconut Cake (with Lime)

If you’re in the mood for a summery cake filled with tropical flavors, you’ve come to the right place. This delicious Pineapple Coconut Cake with Lime will make you feel like you’re on a Caribbean beach, ocean waves crashing in the background.

Summer Heat Calls for Sweet Treats!

Here in the south we’re experiencing a heat wave. Like, a serious heat wave. My poor yard is completely brown, my A/C is working overtime, and I can barely make it from the house to the car without complaining about the sweltering heat and humidity. 

As you might imagine, I’ve been spending a lot of time indoors lately. My sweet pups aren’t even getting their walks these days. And because I’m trapped inside, I’ve been baking. 

I had a huge baking job today (60 cupcakes for an outreach in the inner city tomorrow) but I looked at all of those (many) cake mixes in my pantry and decided I’d better use up more of them before they expired. (Like that would happen in my world.) 

I was feeling tropical. Probably the heat. And humidity. (Did I mention the humidity?) Our current weather reminds me of a trip that I took to Cozumel a few years back with my best friend. 

Minus the beach. 

And the ocean. 

And the Pina Coladas. 

Okay, kidding about the Pina Coladas. I’m not really a drinker. But the heat definitely put me in mind of tropical drinks and that was the first one that came to mind. 

Can I Make a Pina Colada Cake? 

This was my first question. I knew that I would need coconut and lime. And I also had cans and cans of pineapple sitting on my shelf. Bingo!

As always, I decided to make up a recipe, one that involved a doctored cake mix and pineapple.

How do I Bake with Pineapple? 

This was the top question on my mind once I made up my mind to make a tropical cake. I’ve baked with it before, of course. My Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe is among my most popular. And my Pineapple Upside-Down Dump cake is a personal favorite. I’ve also made a Pineapple Pound cake in the past.

Still, I wanted to create a doctored cake mix and couldn’t quite figure out what should be cut from the box’s list of ingredients to accommodate the presence of the pineapple. 

In the end I decided to eliminate the water and one of the eggs. I ended up with a thick, luscious batter.

We’ll talk more about that in a moment. For now, here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make this tropical cake. 

Tropical Pineapple Coconut Cake Ingredients

You’ll find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. You’ve probably got many of these ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator right now.

FOR THE CAKE:

• yellow cake mix
• sweetened coconut flakes
• room temperature butter
• lime juice (or lemon juice)
• crushed pineapple (remove juice and set aside)
• large eggs

FOR THE GLAZE:

• pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple)
• powdered sugar

FOR THE TOPPING:

• toasted coconut flakes (to sprinkle on top of glaze)

How to Make this Pineapple Coconut Cake

This came together so easily. You’re going to be tickled when you see just how simple it is. 

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Spray your bundt ban with baking spray. Make sure you cover every bit of it well. 

Strain the crushed pineapple, removing the juice. Set it aside for the glaze. 

Process your pineapple. (Even crushed pineapple can stand to be mashed a bit more!) You can use a food processor or mixer for this. (You can skip this step but it might affect the texture of the cake.)

Place your room temperature butter in a medium bowl and mix at high speed until light and creamy. You can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment. 

Add your crushed pineapple (minus the juice) to the butter and mix well. It will look a little curdly at this point but don’t worry about that. 

Add your cake mix and eggs, mixing at low speed until incorporated. It will be thick. Add your lime juice. I put in 1/4 cup but you might choose to add a tiny bit more if the batter seems too thick to you. (You could also add a couple tablespoons of water if you choose.) 

Now it’s time to stir in the coconut flakes. I felt like my batter was some sort of science experiment. Between the lime, the coconut, the pineapple and the butter, things were looking thick. . .but inflated. 

I was intrigued. 

And a little nervous. 

That didn’t stop me from putting this thick cake batter into the prepared pan and popping it into my preheated oven. 

Bake your cake for 40 minutes in middle of oven until it springs back to the touch. (Times will vary, depending on your oven.) 

While the cake is baking, make your glaze. Combine the pineapple juice and confectioner’s sugar. 

Toast your coconut (which will later go on top of the cake). I did mine in a skillet over low heat, stirring frequently until lightly golden brown. 

Pull your cake from the oven and place bundt tin on wire rack to cool. Leave it until you can handle touching the pan, then flip it over onto the cooling rack. (Check out the cupcakes in the background. I was baking for a children’s outreach in the inner city on the day I made this cake.)

If the cake doesn’t release on its own you can give it a little help with a butter knife run along the edges. 

When the cake has cooled, transfer to serving plate or cake drum. I use cake drums from Amazon as a base for most of my cakes. I highly recommend them because they can hold the weight of the cake.

drizzle with pineapple glaze and sprinkle on the coconut while the glaze is still wet so that it sticks. I had plenty of glaze and coconut left over so I saved it to add to my pieces once sliced.

Slice and serve.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay good for 3-4 days and tastes even better when cold.

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Sunday LinkUp

What to Expect from This Recipe

Y’all, I was stunned at how light and luscious this cake was. I give this one a five star rating.

I was expecting a really damp cake (thanks to the pineapple) but that was not the case.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. . .it was moist. But that didn’t stop the cake from being light and flaky. The crunch of the coconut, the ooey-gooey goodness of the glaze, and the tender flake of the crumb. . .sheer perfection.

I am absolutely in love with this luscious bundt cake. Like, I can’t wait to bake this one again and again for friends and family. This is the perfect cake for spring or summer, but I can also imagine it at a holiday event in the fall or winter.

Variations on this Pineapple Cake Recipe

Everything inside of me wanted to add bananas and pecans to this cake and turn it into a hummingbird cake. But because I’d added the lime, I decided that would be too much. 

Enhance the coconut flavor with a bit of coconut milk added to the mix in place of some of the lime juice.

You could consider adding lemon (or lime) to the glaze in place of pineapple. I think this would be yummy with the addition of toasted coconut. You could also add lime zest with the toasted coconut on the outside of the cake. I think this would be a perfect addition!

To lighten this moist cake up even more use four egg whites instead of two whole eggs.

Place on a pretty serving plate and garnish with fresh pineapple (or canned pineapple rings).

Serve with coconut cream cheese frosting.

Use a lime curd filling after the cake has cooled. (Yum!) Add pineapple slices.

Other Doctored Cake Mixes from Out of the Box Baking

If you’ve been following me for a while you know I’m all about the doctored cake mix. That’s kind of the point of this site, after all! Here are some of my other favorite doctored boxed cake mixes:

• How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix: The Ultimate Guide: The title is self-explanatory on this one, folks! (Enjoy!)
• Luscious Brown Butter Walnut Cake: This one is rich and decadent and starts with a boxed mix.
• The Most Delicious White Cake Mix from a Box: My go-to for wedding cakes, anniversary cakes, and more!
• Ultimate Chocolate Cake Recipe: This is my go-to for chocolate cakes. I love it!
• Best Italian Cream Cake: This is my favorite cake on the planet. Seriously. Just typing those words makes me want to bake it!
• Check out this German Chocolate Sheet Cake from South Your Mouth! I love German Chocolate and this looks so delicious!

That’s it for this post, friends! Let me leave you with a favorite verse:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.

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