A sweet cake full of pineapple flavor and topped with the most amazing frosting…this Do Nothing Cake (often called Texas Tornado recipe -except this one doesn’t have nuts like pecans or walnuts) is an old-fashioned, vintage cake recipe that you need to pull out and make again! Full of flavor and goodness.

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Do Nothing Cake with pineapples, coconut, and pretzels

A good church potluck wasn’t complete without one of these cakes on the desserts table. Old-school, from scratch recipe that was made by families all over the US “back in the day”. Today, this cake doesn’t show up very often on our tables.

I want to change that. This Do Nothing cake recipe is full of simple ingredients but made with a technique that packs all the flavor in the world into a single slice.

This cake is reminiscent of a poke cake because of how moist and favorful it is.

Looking for a simple pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting? Try my One-Bowl Pineapple Cake recipe…so good!

Why is this cake called Do Nothing Cake?

This cake started out around the 1940’s when cake mixes didn’t exist yet and cakes required multiple steps and ingredients. This cake is very easy to make and therefore called Do Nothing cake. Of course, there is a LITTLE to do :).

Key Ingredients:

🍰 Flour – The backbone of any cake, flour gives structure so your masterpiece doesn’t turn into a pineapple puddle. This cake holds up to swapping all purpose flour with your favorite 1 for 1 gluten free flour.

🍰 Sugar – Sweetness, of course! But also moisture—sugar holds onto liquid, keeping your cake tender instead of dry.

🍰 Eggs – Eggs bring structure, moisture, and richness. Plus, they help everything bind together and give you a great structure.

🍰 Vanilla – A little liquid magic. Just a teaspoon vanilla extract doesn’t just add flavor; it enhances everything else in the mix.

🍰 Baking soda – This is your rise-and-shine ingredient. Baking soda reacts with the acidity in the pineapple to give your cake a nice lift. No flat cakes here!

🍰 Pinch of salt – Don’t skip it! A pinch of salt makes the sweet flavors pop and balances everything out.

🍰 Crushed pineapple – The real star of the show! This gives the cake moisture, natural sweetness, and a subtle tropical vibe. Using the syrup is key—it keeps the cake irresistibly soft.

When I make this cake I use the pineapple in heavy syrup (you’ll see that in the notes) to add TONS of flavor. Of course, the heavy syrup also adds calories and sugar.

In my book, this cake isn’t healthy already and the added heavy syrup doesn’t change that. But…feel free to swap out your pineapple for the juice variety to reduce the sugar and calories.

The Coconut Frosting:

🎂 Butter, unsalted – Because everything’s better with butter. It makes the frosting rich, creamy, and totally indulgent. Make sure you take it out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before trying to whisk it. I prefer to use unsalted butter for baking so I can can control the salt level.

🎂 Sugar – Sweet, simple, and essential for that thick, sticky frosting goodness.

🎂 Sweetened condensed milk – Liquid gold. This adds a caramel-like depth of flavor and helps create that gooey, drippy frosting we all secretly love. And remember, back in the day sweetened condensed milk was an amazing new ingredient!

🎂 Shredded coconut – A little chew, a little texture, and a whole lot of old-school charm. Even coconut skeptics might fall for this one.

🎂 Crushed pretzels – And here’s the kicker—these little salty, crunchy bits make this frosting next-level amazing. Sweet and salty is always a winning combo, and the pretzels add a surprise bite that keeps things interesting.

These old-fashioned cakes with very few ingredients should be honored with the BEST ingredients. Get the best eggs, sugar, and dairy products for really, really good flavor…like what grandma would have had.

I mean…sooo much butter, pineappley goodness going into that pan.

The frosting whips up with a can of condensed milk, coconut, and pretzels…you’ll love these ingredients together. And, of course, “back in the day” the fact that this was the only part of the recipe that required effort meant it really was a “Do Nothing” cake.

Do Nothing vintage cake recipe loaded with coconut and pineapple.

That cake! So moist, flavorful, and yummy. You can see the little bits of pineapple in it…so good.

Serve this up with coffee or tea.

Because this cake is quite sweet I recommend you cut it into 15-18 pieces rather than the usual 12 for most cakes. Which, again, is why this cake was so popular at the potluck tables…serves up alot of people!

Also why this vintage cake recipe was so popular with my family growing up…with 12 of us, this Do Nothing cake meant there might be leftovers!

Other Vintage Cake recipes to try:

DO NOTHING CAKE

| pieces

Prep Time | 15

Cook Time | 35

cooling time | 30

Total Time | 1 20

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A vintage cake full of pineapple flavor and topped with a decadent boiled topping that permeates the cake as it cools. Sooo flavorful and easy!

Ingredients

Cake:

2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking soda
A pinch of salt
1 can of crushed pineapple – including syrup 15 ounce can

FROSTING:

1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup of crushed pretzels

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Instructions

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
Grease a 9 X 13 dish, and set aside.
In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, eggs, Vanilla, baking soda, salt, and crushed pineapple.
Stir well, and pour cake batter into the greased 9 X 13 dish. Place the dish in the oven.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool.

Frosting:

While the cake is cooling, place a heavy saucepan on the stove, and add the stick of butter, and sugar. Melt the butter and sugar until smooth and clear.
Add the Eagle-brand milk, shredded coconut, and crushed pretzels, and stir until the mixture boils.
Turn heat to low, and continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and cool partially.
When the Frosting is cooled a bit, but still warm, spoon the Frosting on the top of the cake, and smooth evenly across cake.
Allow cake and frosting to cool completely. Frosting will become thick as it cools. Serve, and Enjoy!

Notes

NOTE: Purchase the crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, because this makes a difference in the flavor of the cake. If it’s in it’s own juice, the cake won’t be as flavorful. The can size may vary, but it’s close to 15 ounces, although it may read 14.5 ounces, or 16.25 ounces. It will still be fine to use, as long as it’s in the heavy syrup. ALSO: You can also use crushed pecans in the Frosting if you prefer those to Pretzels.

Do Nothing Pineapple Cake