Vegan Pineapple Cake

PLEASE NOTE: This recipe was posted prior to Marty's transition to a gluten-free diet. It will be re-written soon to fit into the gluten-free model of this blog!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and grease two 9" round cake pans or equivalent. (Note: I recommend using a non-hydrogenated, organic vegetable shortening or vegan butter substitute and then a light dusting of flour to coat the pans, as using canola oil on the pans left the bottom of the cake over absorbed with oil.)

Combine in a medium sized mixing bowl:

• 3 cups coconut milk
• 3/4 cup vegan butter (like Earth Balance soy-free)
• 1 T vanilla extract

Combine in a second, larger mixing bowl:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup agave nectar (depending on desired sweetness)
• 4 1/2 cups unbleached naturally white flour
• 1 1/2 T baking powder (aluminum free)
• 1 t salt

Additional ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks (medium diced)
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until smooth (electric mixer or by hand). Add pineapple and stir in by hand.

Pour batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean. If using a glass pan, muffin cups, or mini bunt pan, baking time will need adjustment. (Note: I found that when the cake begin to lightly brown and pull from the sides of the pan, it was perfect.) Remove from oven and COOL COMPLETELY.

Remove cake from pan and frost and top with toasted coconut flakes or simply dust with powdered sugar if desired. (Note: I found this cake was similar to pound cake, and felt it was perfect without frosting, but was also nice with a glaze as below.)

Optional Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (or lemon or orange extract, depending on flavor preference)
• 3-5 teaspoons coconut milk (or lemon juice or orange juice if using a citrus extract)

Combine until smooth and pour over cooled cake no more than a few hours before serving, as glaze will tend to melt/sweat after storage overnight.


Remember, use local and organic foods as much as possible. This is just as important as our choice to remove/reduce animal products from our diet!


*contains gluten, soy-free

Note: this recipe was derived from an original recipe found on naturallyvegetarianrecipes.com.