Pineapple Coconut Surprise Cake

Sounds wonderful. I love cakes like this! I'm putting it in my recipe box! Thanks for sharing.

Prior to WWII my Dad was a Navy Chief Radio Operator stationed in Pearl Harbor. He was a young man and felt called on to work with a Sea Scout Explorer Post for the young Hawaiian boys & girls. The Dole family was a sponsor of the Sea Scouts. My Dad & one of the Dole sons became friends. Dad ate at the Dole's on many occasions. His ship sailed out on a duty assignment 12/6/1941. They missed being in Pearl when the attack came on 12/7/1941. As an after effect of the attack, Dad's ship was forced to join a few other ships to sail as the only protection West of the Hawaiian Islands. Eventually the Navy was supposed to resupply the provisions for the ships. When they reached the rendevous site they found the ship that was supposed to resupply their ship had been sunk. They fished a few cases of food [that they could find]from the ocean. Even cooking very carefully the entire crew got Dysentary. Eventually their ship was relieved and the crew was hospitalized in Alaska.

After the war, Dad came home still missing the Hawaiian foods he had learned to enjoy in 1939-1941. He was thrilled that Mom had a recipe for Glorified Rice she had come across in a magazine [perhaps Woman's Day or Family Circle?]. To cooked & chilled white rice, she added drained Dole Pineapple Tidbits & halved red Maraschino Cherries. She whipped a pint of Whipping Cream, sweetened with 1-3 Tbsp. of white sugar until stiff peaks are formed. She then folded the Cream into the Rice-Fruit mixture. Dad requested this delicious dish more than once a week. He said it reminded him of happier times prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He lost many friends that day at the start of WWII. Of course the memories of the foods those young men survived on while fighting to beat back the horror's of that war, they most assuredly were not anything more than survival rationing.

When I started Home Economics in 1957 [my freshman year in high school], we were given a series of recipe booklets by our teacher. One of them carried a Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe. I made it as a surprise for both my parents. We all fell in love with it. My bother figured out how to bake it over a campfire on a Boy Scouts of America Troop weekend campout.

In 1967 my son was born. As he grew I enrolled him in Cub Scouts then Boy Scouts, again we brought out the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It is a treat well loved in our family. This Pineapple Coconut Surprise Cake is a recipe that will be a major thrill for family & friends.

Thenk you for sharing this recipe, Ms. Meryl. LOL :-)

Thank you for this beautiful & heartwarming story.

Meryl, I never intended to take so long sharing our family ties to Pineapple-Surprises. I see food as the single thing that ties families together. Grandparents raised their families with recipes they had received from other relatives, and they passed those recipes to their own children. When grandchildren come along they always start them in the kitchen, teaching holiday treats. Later on it becomes a family cooking club. Or so it has gone with our family.:-)

This recipe sound SOOOO GOOOOD. I can't wait to have a go at it. Talking about Grandparents... My greatest memories as a child were when we went to visit my Grandmother and as soon as you would walk through her door you could smell that she had been baking..The smell of Apple pie always comes to mind for me and every Easter she would bring over a Baked Easter Bunny that stood up surrounded by green grass made of coconut...Jelly beans for eggs which she would lay in the grass. Red Lic. for the mouth and rasins for the eyes. And Till this day I can remember her making Easter Eggs Decorated with Wax designs and colored. She learned it when she lived in Poland. They were so beautiful. It was something my mom tried to teach us kids to do. Gosh such great Memories.. I know your cake recipe will be a big smash with my family.. Thank You So Much for Sharing.

Meryl I made yor Pineapple Surprise Cake today and I have to say It was every bit as good as you said.. The family loved it so much they want me to make it for Easter and dye the coconut green and put jelly beans on top for each slice of cake. I know it will be a big hit at the Easter Dinner we're going to.. Thank You again for such a wonderful dessert.