Tornado Cake aka Do Nothing Cake
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Texas Tornado Cake is a super easy and fast dessert recipe to whip together in a pinch. With just a few pantry staples you can have this delicious cake ready to serve in less than an hour!
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Texas Tornado Cake is a classic old-fashioned recipe. I’ve seen it also called Do Nothing Cake because you literally stir and bake! Because the recipe was invented in the 1940s when baking required a lot of measuring and weighing, this cake was about as close to “do nothing” as it could get!
Tornado cake is a moist cake filled with crushed pineapple and topped with a decadent sweet coconut frosting. While I haven’t seen it described as a poke cake (you KNOW I love a poke cake!) I do make it that way, poking holes in the cake before pouring the topping over it so that all that flavor can get soaked up.
If you like poke cake too check out my triple lemon poke cake, OREO poke cake, Boston cream pie poke cake or all of my poke cakes here!
Ingredients
- flour
- baking soda
- sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- crushed pineapple
- butter
- evaporated milk
- coconut
- chopped pecans
Step by step
As you can imagine, for a cake nicknamed “do nothing cake” it is pretty easy to make!
- Mix all cake ingredients in a bowl until blended.
- Pour batter into a baking dish. Bake 30-40 minutes.
- When cake is done, remove from oven and immediately prepare topping.
- Bring butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, and sugar to a simmer in a saucepan.
- Cook about 5 minutes to thicken, then remove from heat and stir in coconut and nuts.
- Poke holes in the cake with a skewer, chopstick, or spoon handle and then pour the topping over the cake and spread evenly.
That’s it! You’re done!
FAQs
Make this cake up to 5 days ahead of time and keep at room temperature covered tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
I don’t recommend freezing this cake as the texture is off when it is thawed.
I have seen this cake made many different ways so feel free to experiment! I have seen canned peaches or fruit cocktail used instead of crushed pineapple and walnuts instead of pecans.
If you use unsalted butter add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the topping mix when bringing to a simmer.
If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Tornado Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Texas Tornado Cake is a super easy and fast dessert recipe to whip together in a pinch. With just a few pantry staples you can have this delicious cake ready to serve in less than an hour!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 oz can crushed pineapple
Topping
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together all cake ingredients until blended.
- Pour into prepared dish and bake 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove to cooling rack and poke holes about 1 inch apart in the cake with a wooden skewer, chopstick, or handle of a wooden spoon.
- Combine butter, vanilla, evaporated milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium high heat, stirring often, until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in nuts and coconut flakes. Pour mixture over the cake while it is still hot and spread evenly. Let topping set a few minutes before serving for best results.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 471
- Sugar: 56.3 g
- Sodium: 213 mg
- Fat: 17.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 75.7 g
- Protein: 5.4 g
- Cholesterol: 51.3 mg
Hi
Thank you for post the Tornado cake sounds fabulous.
Do I add the juice in the pineapple can into cake mixture?
I think it would’ve said drained. So yes add the can of fruit juice and all. That’s my expert advice
Yes, the whole can undrained!
Will this work if I leave out the Coconut?? Not a fan of Coconut. Thanks!!!
It may make the topping a little thinner so you would probably want to put in more nuts and maybe chop them smaller
One of my favorite recipes! Thank you!
Have been making this cake for 60 years we add a handful of brown sugar around top before we bake it adds a delicious flavor in oven now
Does it have to be refrigerated
It says keep at room temperature
Looking at nutrition info:
No Vitamin C in a lemon cake??? Hmmm….
My husband like this cake so much, I’m making it again this weekend. It is simply delicious!!!
We loved this cake, it was delicious and so moist. My husband said this is possibly the best cake he has ever eaten!! I am making another one today to take to a family meal tomorrow, I have never taken anything I made before, but I feel confident this cake is a winner. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it, it is one of my favorites too!
I made this, and took it to a church function. Huge hit! Everyone that got a piece loved it! One lady even said it was the best dessert on the table! Had several ask for the recipe. Needless to say I will be making it more often.
This cake is a huge hit at my church. It is requested regularly. I always bring home an empty pan.
So glad everyone enjoys it!
Do you think this would work with canned peaches? Thank you.
Absolutely love this Tornado cake ! The only changes I made were more chopped pecans on top and about 2 cups in the cake. You can never have too many pecans, imo 😁
Scrumptiously delicious! Everyone asked for the recipe. It was very easy but looks like it took a lot of effort. Making again for sur.