This Texas Tornado cake is a quick and easy, classic southern dessert. A simple yellow sheet cake made moist and tender with crushed pineapple, and drenched with a coconut pecan topping. You'll get rave reviews!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Part poke cake, part dump cake - this recipe for Tornado cake is is nicknamed a Do Nothing Cake also, because it only needs one bowl and a spoon to mix it all up in, you practically do nothing!
Whip this cake up in less than 45 minutes with items you probably have in the pantry. I've included substitutions also, just in case you don't have one or two items. You'll end up with a company worthy cake every time!
PRO TIP: This Tornado cake recipe uses a little vegetable oil in the recipe. It gives the cake a super tender crumb that does not dry out as quickly as do nothing cakes that don't use oil.
What is Tornado Cake?
The original Texas Tornado Cake recipe used canned fruit cocktail, or crushed pineapple in the cake batter. Tornado cakes were developed during hard times when desserts were made with whatever was on hand in the pantry.
The topping traditionally calls for coconut, pecans, and evaporated milk in the topping, but you can use any cream or non dairy cream you prefer.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- What is Tornado Cake?
- Tornado Cake Ingredients
- How to Make a Texas Tornado Cake
- Serving Suggestions
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Storage
- Tips for Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Food Safety
- Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
- Connect with Smells Like Delish!
- 📖 Recipe
Tornado Cake Ingredients
Making this Texas Tornado cake from scratch is quick and easy, but I've also included a recipe for tornado cake with a cake mix as well.
For the Do Nothing Cake
- Flour - All purpose flour.
- Sugar - granulated sugar.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs - fresh, large.
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Pineapple - canned, crushed pineapple (in juice and un-drained)
PRO TIP: You can substitute a Yellow Cake Mix for the first four ingredients (Flour, Sugar, Baking soda and Salt).
For the Coconut Pecan Topping
- Butter - salted and cut into chunks.
- Brown Sugar - You can use regular white sugar also.
- Evaporated milk - or any cream, coconut cream, or plant based creamer.
- Pecans - chopped.
- Coconut - sweetened, flaked.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make a Texas Tornado Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with non stick spray. Set aside for later.
Mix and Bake the Cake
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and the salt.
- Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, and the can of crushed pineapple. Be sure to include the juice. Mix well.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared 9x13 cake pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Cake Mix Recipe For Tornado Cake
- Instead of adding the flour, sugar, baking powder, and the salt to the mixing bowl, just open a store bought yellow cake mix and empty it into the bowl.
- Add the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and the pineapple and mix well for 2 minutes.
- Pour into the prepared pan, and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Set aside to cool and continue with the rest of this recipe.
Poke Holes In the Cake Top
- Remove from oven and set on a rack to cool. Using the back of a wooden spoon or chopstick, poke holes in the cake top about 1 - 2" inches apart. Let cake cool while you prepare the coconut pecan topping.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare the Coconut Pecan Topping
While the poked sheet cake is cooling, prepare the coconut pecan topping in a medium saucepan on your stove top.
- In a medium saucepan, heat your butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and vanilla until it begins to boil.
- Cook for 4 minute on medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pecans and coconut. Remove from heat.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Pour on the Hot Coconut Pecan Topping
- Pour hot coconut pecan topping over the Tornado cake and spread evenly with a spatula. Let cool for 15 minutes and then serve!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
From its versatile ingredients to its easy assembly process, this Texas Tornado cake is sure to become a family favorite in no time. This decadent dessert pairs beautifully with our Country Style Boneless Pork Ribs and Southern Braised Collard Greens.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Substitutions
- You can substitute canned fruit cocktail or canned peaches for the fruit in this Texas Tornado cake if you don't have a can of crushed pineapple handy.
- The first four ingredients of this Tornado cake recipe are basically what is in a cake mix. You can easily substitute any white or yellow cake mix for those first four ingredients.
- You can also purchase two tubs of Coconut Pecan cake frosting that is typically used to frost a boxed German chocolate cake. Warm in the microwave for 1 minute and spread over the cake with poke holes in it. This is Do Nothing Cake to the next level!
Variations
Here are a few scrumptious variations using this recipe as a base:
- Tornado Cake with Fruit Cocktail - Use a can of fruit cocktail instead of crushed pineapple.
- Carrot Tornado Cake - Grate 2 cups of carrots and add ¾ of apple juice. Mix with the cake instead of the crushed pineapple.
- Peach Tornado Cake - Use a can of peach sliced, with the liquid. Dice the peach up for break them up with your hands when mixing.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this Tornado Cake recipe.
- 9x13 Cake Pan
- Fishers chopped Pecans
Storage
Cover any leftover Tornado cake with a cake pan lid, or aluminum foil. Store at room temperature no more than one or two day, refrigerate if you need to store it longer. You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months.
Tips for Success
- 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. Coconut Cream adds a great hint of coconut also!
- 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cake mixes have a lot of commercial grade ingredients with preservatives or treatments that extend shelf life. They can lack in flavor and freshness. Scratch made cakes will have fresh, flavorful ingredients, and will create a better tasting cake.
The cake edges in the pan will start to pull away, and the cake will spring back slightly when pressed lightly. Also, the tooth pick will come out clean without any cake batter on it.
No. The original Tornado cake recipe used evaporated milk. That's because evaporated milk is shelf stable and can be stored long term. Evaporated milk was kept in pantries for when fresh was not available. Alternatives for evaporated milk cream, half and half, and non dairy creamers, or coconut cream.
The all-in-one bowl method is the easiest cake making method out there! It's super easy to follow, fairly fail-proof for simple sheet pan type cakes. In this method all ingredients are added to a mixing bowl and mixed into a batter.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Texas Tornado Cake
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 or white if you prefer
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk or heavy cream, coconut cream, or creamer
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup coconut sweetened, shredded or flakes
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
- Break into the bowl of dry ingredients the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and crushed pineapple. 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. Coconut Cream adds a great hint of coconut also!
- 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
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