Here’s everything that goes into the recipe:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 can (about 20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
That’s really it.
There are no eggs, no oil and no milk to add to the cake mix.
The pineapple and all of its juice supply the moisture, while the dry cake mix creates the structure of the bars. The shredded coconut adds sweetness, texture and a slightly chewy tropical finish.
How Susan Makes Her Pineapple Coconut Bars
Start by heating the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. If you’d like to make removing the bars easier, line the pan with parchment paper while leaving some extra paper extending over the edges.
Empty the yellow cake mix into a large mixing bowl.
Next comes the most important part of the entire recipe: pour in the whole can of crushed pineapple, juice included.
Don’t drain it.
Add the shredded coconut and stir everything together until you can no longer see obvious pockets of dry cake mix.
Don’t expect this to resemble ordinary cake batter. The mixture should be fairly thick.
Transfer it into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it evenly from corner to corner.
Bake for approximately 25–35 minutes, beginning to check toward the lower end of that range.
The bars are ready when the center appears set and the surface has developed a light golden color.
Then comes an important final step: leave them alone until they’ve cooled.
Fresh from the oven, the bars are quite soft. Cooling allows them to firm up enough to slice cleanly into squares.
Susan’s Most Important Rule
If there’s one detail you shouldn’t change, it’s this:
Never drain the pineapple.
It might seem natural to strain canned pineapple before adding it to a dessert, but this recipe depends on that liquid.
There aren’t any eggs, oil or additional dairy ingredients supplying moisture. The pineapple juice combines with the cake mix and helps create the soft texture that makes these bars work.
Drain away that juice and you may end up with a mixture that’s considerably too dry.
Susan simply opens the can and pours the entire thing into the bowl.
Why Such a Simple Dessert Works
Part of the appeal is the combination of textures and flavors.
The finished bars are soft and moist in the middle, lightly golden across the surface and pleasantly chewy from the coconut. Pineapple provides sweetness and acidity, preventing the dessert from tasting like nothing more than boxed cake mix.
They’re also extremely practical for gatherings.
You don’t need plates and forks. They can be sliced into small squares, placed on a platter or individually packaged for a bake sale.
And because everything comes together in a single mixing bowl, cleanup is almost as easy as the recipe itself.
Want to Make Them Look a Little Fancier?
Susan’s original version doesn’t really need anything else, but there are several easy ways to dress up the bars.
Once completely cooled, you can dust them lightly with powdered sugar.
For something sweeter, combine powdered sugar with just enough pineapple juice or milk to create a simple glaze, then drizzle it across the top.
Extra toasted coconut also makes an attractive topping, while chopped pecans or macadamia nuts can add some crunch.
If you’re serving the bars as a plated dessert at home rather than taking them to a gathering, try warming an individual piece slightly and adding a spoonful of whipped cream.
None of these additions are necessary, though. The appeal of Susan’s version is precisely how simple it is.
A Few Things to Remember
Always use the pineapple with its juice, and don’t worry when the batter seems unusually thick.
Mix only until the ingredients are combined rather than vigorously beating everything together. Take an extra moment to spread the mixture evenly in the pan so the edges and center cook at approximately the same rate.
Most importantly, avoid leaving the bars in the oven until they seem dry. Their soft, moist texture is part of what makes them so good.
Allowing them to cool completely will give them plenty of additional structure.
Can You Use Another Cake Mix?
Yellow cake mix gives the bars their familiar flavor, but white cake mix is another easy option.
You could also experiment with coconut- or pineapple-flavored cake mixes for an even stronger tropical character. Just remember that different brands and varieties can produce slightly different results.
For the most predictable version, ordinary yellow cake mix remains the safest choice.
What About Fresh Pineapple?
Canned crushed pineapple in juice is particularly useful here because both the amount of fruit and liquid are predictable.
Fresh pineapple can vary considerably in moisture, so swapping it directly for the canned version could change the consistency of this very simple batter.
If you want the original three-ingredient result, stick with canned crushed pineapple and don’t drain it.
Storing the Bars
Once the bars have cooled completely, keep them in an airtight container.
They can remain at room temperature briefly in a cool environment, but refrigeration is better for longer storage.
If you’re packaging them individually for a bake sale, make absolutely sure they’ve cooled first. Wrapping warm bars can trap condensation and leave their surfaces unpleasantly wet.
They can also be frozen. Slice the cooled dessert into individual bars, wrap them securely and place them inside a freezer-safe container. Allow them to thaw before serving.
Do You Really Need Eggs or Oil?
No.
That’s what makes this recipe unusual.
The three ingredients are intentionally cake mix, undrained crushed pineapple and shredded coconut. You don’t prepare the cake mix according to the directions printed on its box.
The pineapple juice provides the liquid needed to bring everything together.
And yes, the mixture really is supposed to look much thicker than conventional cake batter.
Three Ingredients, One Bowl and Almost No Work
After finally learning Susan’s recipe, I understood why she had continued making it for so many years.
It’s difficult to argue with a dessert that takes three ingredients and a few minutes of preparation yet still has people reaching for another square.
There are no elaborate decorations or special baking techniques involved.
Just yellow cake mix, coconut and an entire can of crushed pineapple.
The hardest part may actually be keeping a few bars aside before the rest of the family discovers them.
Whether you need something quick for a school bake sale, church gathering, potluck or an easy dessert at home, this is the kind of recipe worth keeping nearby.
And if you remember only one thing Susan does differently, make it this:
Pour in the pineapple juice too.