If there’s one tray that disappears faster than anything else at a school bake sale, it’s these golden, chewy pineapple coconut bars. With just three pantry staples — yellow cake mix, crushed pineapple, and sweetened shredded coconut — they bake up into soft squares with a crackly golden top and a sweet tropical chew in every bite. No mixer, no fuss, and they slice up perfectly for sharing.
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
- 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut, plus a little extra for the top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish, or line it with parchment paper for easy lifting.
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry cake mix and the entire can of crushed pineapple — juice and all. The batter will be thick and a little lumpy; that’s exactly right. Don’t overmix.
- Fold in the shredded coconut until it’s evenly distributed through the batter.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle a little extra coconut over the top if you like.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center looks set.
- Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes so they firm up for clean slicing. Cut into squares and enjoy!
One pan, three ingredients, and a whole crowd of happy people — this is the kind of easy bake-sale hero worth keeping in your back pocket.
