Pineapple poke cake
Serves: 15
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Pineapple poke cake
Whip up this easy traybake for a post-barbecue dessert or garden party. Juicy pineapple chunks are mixed through the batter and the reserved juice is absorbed by the sponge for extra sunshine flavour. All topped with an irresistibly creamy coconut frosting!
Serves: 15
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
431Kcal
Fat
30gr
Saturates
20gr
Carbs
35gr
Sugars
24gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
1gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 x 432g tin pineapple chunks
- 225g soft butter, plus extra to grease
- 225g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 medium eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1⁄2 tsp fine salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 75g desiccated coconut
For the frosting
- 80g soft butter
- 80g icing sugar, sifted
- 150g full-fat soft cheese
- 125g coconut cream (from a carton)
- 20g toasted coconut chips (we used Crazy Jack)
Step by step
Get ahead
The iced cake keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature to serve.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20 x 30cm traybake tin with baking paper.
-
Drain the pineapple chunks over a bowl to catch the juices (set aside for later). Cut the chunks in half. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each one. Fold through the remaining flour, salt, baking powder and coconut. Finally, fold through the pineapple chunks and 4 tablespoons of the juice.Make it gluten-freeUse gluten-free flour and baking powder, and add 1⁄2 tsp xanthan gum.
- Spoon the batter into the tin and level out. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until risen, golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Set aside 1 tablespoon of the remaining pineapple juice. Pour the rest into a small saucepan and bubble to reduce by half. Poke holes all over the cake with a chopstick or skewer. Generously brush the reduced pineapple juice all over and leave to soak in and cool completely.
- Remove the cake from the tin and peel off the lining paper. For the frosting, beat together the soft butter and sifted icing sugar until smooth. Whisk in the soft cheese, coconut cream and 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice until the mixture has thickened up but is still spreadable.
- Spread the coconut frosting over the sponge in an even layer. Scatter over the coconut chips and cut the cake into squares to serve.
