Pineapple Coconut Christmas Jam Bundt Cake

Imagine taking a big bite of cake that was prepared with pineapple, coconut, pecans, and a whole lot of homemade jam! This Pineapple Coconut Christmas Jam Bundt Cake will allow you to do just that! With a cake this delicious and this moist, a dusting of confectioner’s sugar is all you need for decoration!

Yes, I know the title of this recipe is quite lengthy, but once you read it, you know exactly what is in this cake and you can imagine how delicious it will taste. Pineapple Coconut Christmas Jam Bundt Cake is one of my favourite cakes. It’s absolutely delicious! Not only does it taste great, but it’s also very moist and it presents beautifully.

Look closely at the photographs and you can see the chunks of pineapples, the shredded coconut, and the dark, nutty pecans distributed throughout the cake. You may think it odd that there is a whole cup of jam in the cake batter, but it really works! It both flavours the cake and adds to the moisture and colour. I indicated that Christmas jam would be preferred, but you can use any jam you wish. Since it’s a Christmas cake and I had many jars of Christmas jam on hand, I thought I’d go with it.

If, however, you do not have Christmas jam on hand, you can certainly use strawberry or raspberry jam. Currant jam or cranberry jam would work great as well. Just be sure that it is jam and not jelly. Jelly is more firm than jam and you will need that slighly runny consistency to make this cake work.

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So, welcome, Dear Reader, to my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting. Also, we have a vacation booked in what would have been the middle of the series, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – If you can, use salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt when you add the flour. Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Sugar
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Jam – I’m using my Christmas Jam, but you can use store-bought strawberry, raspberry, currant jam, etc.
• Buttermilk
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Soda
• Spices – You will need ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Canned Crushed Pineapple – The can is 398mL or 14 ounces. Drain the crushed pineapple well otherwise the cake batter will be too wet.
• Unsweetened Coconut
• Pecans
• Confectioner’s Sugar

HOW TO MAKE A PINEAPPLE COCONUT CHRISTMAS JAM BUNDT CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Next, add the jam and buttermilk. Beat to incorporate into the butter and sugar mixture. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Beat to incorporate. Finally, add the drained pineapple, coconut, and pecans. Fold into the batter using a rubber spatula.

Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to rest in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioner’s sugar. Enjoy!

THE TYPE OF COCONUT IS IMPORTANT

When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use sweetened coconut for this recipe because there is no additional sugar added in terms of other ingredients used.

You’ll want to use unsweetened coconut. The size of the shredded coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference to the look. The longer shreds of coconut might make for a messier cake and you want your delicious cake to look just as amazing as it tastes!

Depending on the brand, some coconut is shredded, grated, or desiccated. Shredded usually refers to larger pieces, while grated tends to be smaller. Desiccated has nothing to do with the size of the pieces but means the coconut is dried or the moisture has been removed. In most cases, you will find a fine or medium grade. Medium is my personal coconut of choice in most cases and it is what I used here.

BAKING A PERFECT CAKE

Whenever I bake a cake, I have to fight the desire to open the oven door and take a peak. It’s because I’m a control freak and I tend to worry and obsess over just about everything. If you open that oven door, you will put all of your cake-making effort at risk.

When I was a kid, I remember my mother giving us all a very stern warning whenever she baked. “Don’t walk too hard on the floor!” she would shout. The vibrations in the floor from a heavy walker would flatten her cake or her bread. I’m not sure it ever happened, or if it would! We were too afraid to test it.

That same warning should be applied to the oven door. Opening the door can release heat, depending on how long you leave the door open. And, maybe my mother was on to something about vibrations. Maybe the oven door causes a little shift or jolt, resulting in a deflated cake. Don’t risk it folks!

THIS CAKE DEMANDS TEA OR COFFEE!

Maybe it’s my British heritage, or maybe it’s because I know a good thing when I see it! Afternoon sweet treats with a cup of tea or coffee have always been a part of my life.  An afternoon hot beverage is very common in Newfoundland, and I still have coffee almost every afternoon.  On the weekends, particularly, I love to have my coffee with a scone, a biscuit, or a piece of cake.

That’s what I love about this Pineapple Coconut Christmas Jam Bundt Cake. It’s a cake that has no fuss about it; it’s really not that difficult to make. And, you don’t need to do anything fancy with it to fully enjoy it. I simply dusted the top of the cake with confectioner’s sugar – decorating couldn’t get any easier than that! Slice off a wedge and sit back with a hot coffee or tea. Nothing can beat that! How long is it going to take you? Ten or fifteen minutes? I think everyone deserves a little downtime once in a while. And, while you’re at it, have a piece of cake! Life is short; enjoy it!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!