This Texas Tornado Cake, also known as Do Nothing Cake, is one of those old-fashioned Southern recipes that’s been passed down for generations under several different names. It’s a classic Southern dessert made with crushed pineapple and topped with a warm coconut pecan topping. The cake comes together in one bowl, while the topping cooks in just 5 minutes on the stove before being poured over the warm cake, creating an incredibly moist cake.
If you love old-fashioned Southern cakes that are simple to make but full of flavor, this is one you’ll make again and again.
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Why You’ll Love This Texas Tornado Cake
- One bowl cake
- No mixer needed
- Moist from crushed pineapple
- Warm coconut pecan topping
- Perfect for potlucks and family gatherings
One of my favorite things about this cake is that you pour the warm coconut pecan topping over the warm cake right out of the oven. It soaks into every bite, making the cake extra moist. Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, then grab a fork. No waiting for the cake to cool completely before you can enjoy it!
Whether you know it as Tornado Cake, Texas Tornado Cake, or Do Nothing Cake, it’s one of those old-fashioned recipes that’s stayed popular for generations for good reason.
Why Is It Called Tornado Cake? (Or Do Nothing Cake?)
This old-fashioned Southern cake has been passed around for decades, so it’s no surprise it goes by several different names depending on where you live. You may know it as:
- Texas Tornado Cake
- Do Nothing Cake
- Granny Cake
- Cajun Cake
- Pineapple Gooey Cake
- Preacher Cake (in some areas)
While the names vary, they’re all very similar pineapple cakes topped with a warm coconut pecan topping.
Cake Ingredients
Topping Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: All purpose flour works best.
- Eggs: We always use large room temperature eggs so they blend well.
- Crushed Pineapple: One 20 ounce can and you do not drain it.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter and then add a little salt to the recipe. If you use salted butter for the topping then you can omit the salt.
- Evaporated Milk: Don’t substitute sweetened condensed milk. Evaporated milk gives the topping richness without making it overly sweet.
- Coconut Flakes: This is the sweetened type.
- Chopped Pecans: You can use walnuts.
How to Make Tornado Cake
See recipe card for exact amounts.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and coat a 9″ X 13″ baking pan with cooking spray.
- Mix flour, sugar, eggs, pineapple, baking soda and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 28 – 36 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When the cake comes out poke holes in the top with the handle of a wooden spoon or thick wooden skewer.
- Combine butter, evaporated milk, white sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat. Cook while stirring often until thickened, about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut and nuts. Pour hot mixture over cake. Let cake sit about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Storage
- Room temperature: Store covered for up to 2 days
- Refrigerator: Store covered for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Can I Make Texas Tornado Cake Ahead of Time?
Yes. In fact, many people think it’s even better the next day because the warm coconut pecan topping has more time to soak into the cake. Store it covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
More Easy Cake Recipes
- Hummingbird Cake – our version doesn’t have nuts.
- Oatmeal Cake – this cake has a yummy coconut pecan topping. The method to make it is similar but slightly different than this one.
- Peach Cake with Cool Whip Topping – this is a layer cake made with canned peaches and topped with a Cool Whip frosting. Yummy!
- Banana Sour Cream Coffee Cake – a tasty way to use up those over-ripe bananas!
- Mississippi Mud Cake – chocolate cake topped with gooey marshmallows and chocolate icing.
Looking for something other than cake? Check out the Desserts & Treats section for more dessert ideas.
Love this recipe?
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Texas Tornado Cake (Do Nothing Cake)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 can crushed pineapple, undrained 20 ounces
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the topping:
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sweetened flake coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9" X 13" baking pan with cooking spray.
- Mix flour, sugar, eggs, pineapple, baking soda and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until combined.2 cups all purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1 can crushed pineapple, undrained, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pour batter into prepared pan; bake 28 – 36 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When the cake comes out of the oven poke holes in the top with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Make the topping:
- Combine butter, evaporated milk, white sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then cook over medium-high heat stirring often until slightly thickened, about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut and nuts. Pour hot mixture over cake. Let cake sit about 5 minutes before serving.1 cup sugar, ⅔ cup evaporated milk, ½ cup butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans
for the frosting I used brown sugar and as for the instructions on making the frosting I incorporated the pecans and coconut in the sauce pan to give the sauce a better flavor
Thanks for sharing, Jason! Brown sugar sounds like a delicious addition, and I bet stirring the pecans and coconut right into the topping as it cooks gave it even more flavor and texture. I appreciate you coming back to let us know how it turned out!
Very moist and delicious
Good Thursday morning on March 5th 2026: Mindy.
There is another name for this cake, ” Preacher Cake ” I like the story about the traveling Preacher who would have dinner with a church member, but she didn’t have a dessert, she made up the ingredients for the cake out of what she had on hand.
I thought that the coconut, pecan glaze was thick.
I made the cake early, I’m not serving until tomorrow, taking slices to the fitness center for the staff, then the remaining cake, I’m taking slices to Sundays Bible study.
Thanks for your recipe
I bet everyone will love it! That is a great story, thank you for sharing. The video for this went viral on TikTok and I learned this cake has MANY names, some of them are Do Nothing Cake, Granny Cake, Pineapple Gooey Cake, and Cajun Cake, and Texans have claimed it for their own calling it Texas Tornado Cake.
Good Sunday afternoon: Mindy on March 8th. a couple of ladies didn’t set their clocks, and got there a hour later
Everyone at the Bible study loved your ” Tornado Cake ” Thanks so much.
Can you freeze this cake? Serve later
Yes! It freezes well and can be defrosted in the fridge or on the counter.
Does this have to be kept in the refrigerator?
It doesn’t have to be but will stay fresh longer if you do refrigerate it. I never do because it gets eaten pretty quickly around here.
Hi just made the cake but can I substitute the white sugar for brown???
Hi Lisa, I think brown sugar would work pretty well for the topping. My husband wants to know if you’ll send him a piece .
Hi! Second time making this, I made it for thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. Made again today for Christmas. Substituting pears for the pineapple because of a family member’s allergy. My only question is that both times when I’m stirring the butter etc in a saucepan, it never really gets much thicker. What am I doing wrong ? I let it get pretty bubbly, first time I kept it at a lower temp, this time a higher temp. I measured all ingredients both times and didn’t substitute anything. Once I added in the nuts and coconut and it still seemed a bit thin, I added a little more of each. When I poured onto cake, it covered the whole surface, and then later when we cut into it, if had become more solid. Just wondering if anyone else had this happen. But the taste is incredible!
I don’t think you are doing anything wrong. It goes on fairly thin and thickens as it cools.
Aren’t there suppose to be egg yolks in the topping recipe?
My Tornado Cake recipe doesn’t include egg yolks in the topping, and it’s not supposed to. The traditional version uses butter, sugar, evaporated milk, coconut, and pecans for a rich, gooey texture. Some variations add egg yolks for a thicker, custard-like topping, but that’s not the classic method.
I couldn’t find crushed pineapple, can I just shred or mash the chunks?
That should work just fine, maybe mash them or just cut them into small pieces. Be sure to use the juice too!
I’ve made this twice in a week! Once for a party, now for thanksgiving potluck. I was not able to find crushed pineapple but was able to use hand mixer to pulp it.
My only question , and this didn’t seem to affect the outcome, but when heating the butter, etc, mine never really thickened. I double checked all ingredients and measurements. But it still was fantastic!
It is pretty thin, not thick like the frosting on a German chocolate cake, so maybe it turned out the way it’s intended!
No oil or butter in cake?
No, just the 6 ingredients listed here. My neighbor claims it’s the best cake he’s ever eaten!
Toasted pecans and continued with recipe oh except I used a box.cake just uséd cañ of crushed pineapple instead of milk and it was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS
THANK YOU
Using a boxed cake mix is a great short-cut!
Can you substitute walnuts for pecans?
Absolutely, walnuts would be delicious in this too!
Can you use pineapple tid bits instead??
I haven’t tried it but I think it will work, just be sure to use the juice too.
Can you use self rising flour?
I haven’t tried it but I don ‘t see why not, just leave the baking soda out. Let me know how it turns out.
Just made this cake. OMG! So good. I toasted the pecans and the coconut just for an extra depth of flavor. So, so good.
That’s a great idea, I bet it was delish, thanks for sharing!
The Tornado Cakw is Fantastic. Big hit at church dinner!!
Yay, we are so glad everyone liked it!