Pineapple Zucchini Cake

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Made with chopped pineapple, grated zucchini, coconut, and a tangy cream cheese frosting, this zucchini and pineapple cake is a moist, flavorful cake that’s perfect for late summer.

Cake server lifting a slice of zucchini and pineapple cake.

This is the time of year when my gardening friends and family start showing up with extra zucchini, begging me to take them off their hands. That’s why I have a nice collection of zucchini recipes that I’ve created over the years.

One thing I love is a good courgette pie. I’ve made tons of variations, including chocolate zucchini cake, lemon zucchini cake, and a zucchini cake with maple cream cheese frosting.

This zucchini and pineapple pie is a favorite. Pineapple and zucchini were meant to go together, and when you add tangy cream cheese frosting? Totally perfect.

Two pieces of pineapple zucchini cake stacked on a plate.

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Truly delicious courgette and pineapple cake

I remember first finding this zucchini and pineapple pie recipe on The Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen. I had a bunch of zucchini that needed to be used and I happened to have what I needed to make this pie.

I was very intrigued by the fact that the recipe only called for 3 tablespoons of oil. I was nervous that it wouldn’t be enough for a moist cake, but I turned out to be wrong.

Both zucchini and pineapple add flavor and moisture to this recipe, creating a delicious, perfectly textured cake.

And you know how much I love cream cheese frosting, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I love it on this cake. The tanginess of the cream cheese is the perfect complement to the sweetness of this cake.

If you love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, this zucchini and pineapple cake is your next must-have recipe.

With the fork we cut a bite from the corner of a slice of courgette and pineapple cake.

How to prepare this courgette and pineapple cake

This is a very easy cake to make. You don’t need a mixer, so you have one less thing to clean up later.

Ingredients you will need

For the courgette and pineapple cake you will need:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, drained

Zucchini and pineapple cake ingredients arranged on a work surface.

If your courgettes are very large, go ahead and scrape out the seeds from the center before grating them. This will prevent the courgettes from being overly watery.

After grating the zucchini, I like to spread them out on a few layers of paper towels. This drains some of the excess moisture without wringing it all out. After it dries a bit, I measure out 2 cups.

When you drain the pineapple, reserve the juice. This is useful in case you need to thin out cake batter or frosting later.

Make this cake

This pineapple zucchini pie is baked in a 9×13-inch pan. Grease the pan with non-stick spray and possibly line it with baking paper.

Dry ingredients blended together in a white bowl.

To make the cake batter, start by whisking together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla, then add this mixture to the dry ingredients along with the grated courgettes and drained pineapple.

Wet cake ingredients blended together in a glass bowl.

The batter may be a little stiff at first, but it should get wetter as you mix it. If you feel like it still needs a little more liquid, feel free to add a small splash of pineapple juice.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 33-35 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

Unbaked courgette and pineapple cake in a cake pan, ready to be baked.

When the cake is cold, prepare the icing by beating together the cream cheese and butter with a mixer for about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the icing sugar and mix until smooth, then add the vanilla. Beat the frosting on medium speed for about 5 more minutes; if you feel you need to dilute it a bit add a little pineapple juice.

Spread cream cheese frosting over cooled cake and garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired.

Storage Tips

Store this courgette and pineapple cake covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

If you want to freeze the cake for long-term storage, that’s also an option:

For more details, see my post on how to freeze cake.

Freeze the cake whole, unfrosted, wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil for up to 2 months.

Freeze frosting in an airtight container for 1-2 months. After defrosting, bring it to room temperature and whip it with the mixer for a few minutes before adding it to the thawed cake.

Freeze individual slices by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer until firm. Wrap the slices in cling film and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to one month.

Sliced zucchini and pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting and pecans.

Recipe FAQs

Can I omit the coconut?

If you don’t like coconut or have an allergy, feel free to omit the coconut from this recipe. If you prefer, you can also choose to use unsweetened coconut.

Is there a substitute I can use for vegetable or canola oil?

If you don’t like cooking with vegetable or canola oil, you can substitute avocado oil or another neutral-tasting oil.

Is it necessary to squeeze the liquid out of the chopped zucchini before adding them to the batter?

You will need to retain some of the moisture in the zucchini for the cake to be moist, so don’t let all the water escape.

However, remove the seeds if you are working with a large courgette. After grating them, place the courgettes on a few layers of absorbent paper. This will absorb excess moisture without eliminating it all.

Could I add hazelnuts to this cake? How much?

Chopped pecans or walnuts are a great addition to this zucchini and pineapple pie! I add ¾ cup to 1 cup chopped walnuts. If you have more time, toasted walnuts add even more flavor to the recipe.

Close up of two pieces of pineapple courgette cake stacked on a stoneware plate.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray (1) 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture, grated zucchini and pineapple into the flour mixture. The batter may seem a little dry and stiff, but it should get a little wetter as you mix. If everything still seems too dry once combined, add a little of the reserved pineapple juice to moisten the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 33 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, prepare the icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter until well combined, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar until fully incorporated and smooth. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for about 5 more minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
Frost the cake and, if desired, sprinkle the top with toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans.

If the courgettes are large, scrape the seeds out of the center before chopping so they aren’t too watery.
When I prep my zucchini, I spread them all out on layers of paper towels to drain and dry a bit before measuring out the 2 cups.
If desired, you can also add walnuts to the cake mixture. I would add ¾ to 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
This recipe makes a very generous amount of frosting, if you prefer less frosting, I would suggest halving the frosting ingredients.
Useful resources:
- Make sure you know how to measure flour correctly before you start baking.
- Learn how to make powdered sugar so you can make an easy replacement if you run out.
- Learn how to soften cream cheese and how to soften butter in case you forget to make it ahead of time.

From Pioneer Woman via Tasty Kitchen

Calories: 358kcal, Carbohydrates: 61G, Protein: 3G, Fat: 12G, Saturated fat: 6G, Polyunsaturated fats: 2G, Monounsaturated fats: 3G, Trans fats: 0.1G, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 345mg, Potassium: 137mg, Fiber: 1G, Sugar: 50G, Vitamin A: 357UI, Vitamin C: 6mg, Soccer: 31mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated automatically, so should only be used as an approximation.