My great aunt Pat shared this recipe with me. She said it was quite popular amongst the “Woman’s Club” crowd back in the 1970’s and even though it looks like an unusual recipe (you don’t have to separate wet and dry ingredients), it totally works. It really is so easy and produces a great cake.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for greasing pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- One 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt (optional)
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted
Instructions
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13 cake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add the pineapple, eggs, vanilla and walnuts. Stir the ingredients together until just mixed, taking care not to overmix. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely.
- For the frosting: While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and a pinch of salt, if desired, and beat until fully incorporated and smooth. Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake. Sprinkle evenly with toasted coconut. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 575 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 78 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 58 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 75 mg |
| Sodium | 375 mg |
Reviews
I sprinkled some dark brown sugar over the top of the batter in the pan took a knife swirled it into the batter and cooked. It came out with a nice top and no need for frosting.
I made this recipe gluten- free using King Arthur’s GF flour, substituted 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar for the sugars and used unsweetened coconut. It was the best Gluten Free cake I have ever had!
This recipe has been in my family for years! I was surprised to see it in print. It is called Bertie Cake on my family recipe. Many of us have cut the recipe in half with no problems, for an 8×8 cake as our family sizes have changed. If we frost it we use cream cheese frosting but sometimes just dust confectioners sugar on top. Wonderful old recipe.
3-23-24—I’ve made this twice exactly as written except used Monk Fruit sweetener and, since a family member is allergic to nuts, used pumpkin seeds the first time and raisins the next.
Used unsweetened toasted organic coconut for topping. Very moist and delicious.
Just bot another can of pineapple to go again.
Used unsweetened toasted organic coconut for topping. Very moist and delicious.
Just bot another can of pineapple to go again.
do you use sweetned or unsweeted pineapple juice?
Could this be made with Splenda?
I can’t eat nuts. Will it come out OK if I omit any nuts at all?
I loved this recipe. So delicious and so easy!
I used 1/2 cup less sugar, next time I will use 3/4 cup less sugar. It was still plenty sweet. Also the amount of frosting is at least twice what was needed. Definitely use the toasted coconut.
This has become my go to cake recipe. It is delicious. My husband says he doesn’t like coconut but there’s something about the toasted coconut that he doesn’t mind. My friends and family all love this cake.