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–+ servings
cut square of coconut pecan topped tornado cake.
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5 from 9 votes

Texas Tornado Cake

Also called a Do Nothing cake, this is a quick and easy, classic Southern dessert. A simply yellow cake made moist and tender with crushed pineapple, and then drenched with a coconut pecan frosting. You'll get rave reviews!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American Southern
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 530kcal
Author: Kelly Bloom
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Equipment

Ingredients

For the Do Nothing Cake

  • 2 cup flour
  • 1 ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 20 oz pineapple canned, crushed in juice - use the juice also

For the Coconut Pecan Topping

  • ½ cup salted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
  • ⅔ cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup coconut sweetened, shredded or flakes
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Do Nothing Tornado Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan with non stick spray, oil, or butter.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
    PRO TIP: You can replace these four ingredients with a packaged yellow cake mix.
    2 cup flour, 1 ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
  • Add the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and crushed pineapple to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix together until combined.
    2 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 20 oz pineapple
  • Pour cake batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and set on a rack to cool. Using a wooden spoon handle or chop stick, poke holes in the cake top about 1 - 2" inches apart. Let cake cool while you prepare the cake topping.

For the Coconut Pecan Topping

  • In a medium saucepan, heat your butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and vanilla until it begins to boil.
    ½ cup salted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Cook for 4 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pecans and coconut. Remove from heat.
    1 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup coconut
  • Pour hot topping over your cake and spread evenly. Let cool for 15 minutes and then serve!

Notes

  • Don't drain the pineapple, the pineapple juice is part of your liquids.
  • You can use a plant based 'cream' if you want to avoid dairy.
  • Make the topping after you take the cake out to cool. That way the cake will be the right temperature for pouring on the topping.
  • Use a small diameter tool to poke the holes in the cake. The thick end of a chop stick is perfect!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 366IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg