Texas Tornado Cake
Texas Tornado Cake is spectacular. What a delicious and easy sheet cake to make! The cake is made with a can of fruit cocktail in the batter. Then before you bake the cake you sprinkle a streusel topping with nuts over the top. After the cake comes out of the oven you add a boiled coconut topping and pour it on the cake while hot. Oh, soooo scrumptious!
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This wonderfully quick and easy recipe is also quite economical. You get 15 or so servings out of the cake for less than $10. If you have coconut and nuts on hand all the time like I do, it will cost even less. I was trying to use up some half-and-half in my refrigerator. I even had a can of fruit cocktail in my pantry so I didn’t need to go to the store for any ingredients when I made this tasty cake recipe.
I got this recipe years ago, in the early 1980s when our children were infants. Sandi Weikel brought this cake to a Sunday school fellowship our class was having. Granted, I have a sweet tooth anyway so it’s rare when I don’t like something sweet. But I took one bite of this sweet cake and knew I had to have the recipe.
I have made this recipe so many times over the years for two basic reasons–okay, three! 1) I almost always have all the ingredients on hand so I can make it on the fly. 2) It really is so inexpensive to make. 3) It tastes great! I love all the peaches and pears in the fruit cocktail.
I love coconut. I love walnuts or pecans (any kind of nut for that matter). So this has always been a win-win for me. It’s a win-win for my husband, too, because he hates dry desserts. Quite frankly, he rarely touches any dessert that doesn’t have fruit in it. He would much rather eat a dessert with fruit than chocolate. (Go figure!) So this tasty cake recipe has been on our “to-make” list lots of times over the years.
I’m not sure how the recipe got it’s name. The Weikels and our family were both living in Florida at the time. Neither of us had ever been to Texas! I assume that Sandy got this recipe from her mom and it was passed down in some way. The cake doesn’t actually look like a tornado hit it (at least I don’t think it does!) Be that as it may, I present to you Texas Tornado Cake. Lovely, delicious, moist, and sumptuous.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy dessert for your family, Texas Tornado Cake should top your list! It’s really a fabulous recipe. Dollop some vanilla or Snickerdoodle Ice Cream over the top and you’ll be in seventh heaven! You and your family will savor each mouthful. All the while vanilla ice cream dribbles down your chin! 🙂
This fantastic cake recipe is featured at Favorite Southern Recipes here.
Texas Tornado Cake is so moist and delicious!
This side view shows how ooey and gooey the cake is on the inside. It’s wonderful!
Texas Tornado Cake is just heavenly! We’ve always loved the fruitiness of this delicious cake.
Texas Tornado Cake is so quick and easy to make. You don’t have to spend a lot of time piping frosting over the top. You can whip this cake up without a lot of effort! All the fruit, nuts and coconut topping make this one enjoyable dining experience!
Here’s what I did.
Measure sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs.
Add a can of UNDRAINED fruit cocktail. You need all the juice and syrup. Add baking soda and UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods.
Stir ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine.
Pour into a 9×13″ glass baking dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
Measure brown sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add chopped nuts.
Stir to combine.
Sprinkle the brown sugar-walnut streusel topping over top of the cake batter.
Bake at 325 about 40 minutes. Remove from oven.
While cake is baking make Boiled Coconut Icing: Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add half-and-half cream, heavy whipping cream, or evaporated milk. You need the thicker consistency–not regular milk.
Add coconut.
Add brown sugar.
Stir to combine. Bring ingredients to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Here the icing is done. Remove from heat and pour the hot mixture over the cake while the cake itself is still warm.
Pour the Boiled Coconut Icing over top of the hot cake fresh from the oven. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting.
To serve the cake: Insert spatula into sections and remove to dessert plates. Eat and enjoy! This luscious cake tastes fantastic!
Texas Tornado Cake is such a moist and delicious cake. Just the way my husband likes his desserts! You will savor each mouthful of this delicious cake.
You will love the ease with which you can throw this cake together. It’s so quick, easy and simple. No unnecessary steps and nothing difficult.
These pictures have me drooling!
Here’s the recipe.
TEXAS TORNADO CAKE
(Recipe from Sandy Weikel, when we attended First Baptist Church Indian Rocks, Largo, FL)
Texas Tornado Cake
Equipment
- 1 9x13" glass baking dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped
- 1 sauce pan
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts) (measure after chopping)
- 2 cups fruit cocktail with syrup, 16-oz. can (Do not drain)
- 2 tsp. baking soda (some may prefer only one teaspoon)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
BOILED COCONUT ICING:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup coconut
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk or half and half
Instructions
CAKE:
- Mix granulated sugar, eggs, fruit cocktail, baking soda and flour.
- Pour into greased and floured 9x13” pan or baking dish.
- Combine brown sugar and nuts; sprinkle over batter.
- Bake at 325° for 40 minutes.
- Spread icing on cake while hot.
BOILED COCONUT ICING:
- Combine icing ingredients in saucepan and boil for 2 minutes.
- Spoon over cake while hot.
- Let cool; cut into squares.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups Gold Medal UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 2 cups fruit cocktail with syrup (16-oz. can)
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Mix regular sugar, eggs, fruit cocktail, baking soda and flour.
- Pour into greased and floured 9×13” pan or baking dish.
- Combine brown sugar and nuts; sprinkle over batter.
- Bake at 325° for 40 minutes.
- Spread icing on cake while hot.
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup coconut
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
- Combine icing ingredients in saucepan and boil for 2 minutes.
- Spoon over cake while hot.
- Let cool; cut into squares.
Top with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and you are good to go! I was giving this cake to someone else or I would have stopped and done just that!
I’ve always had a hard time stopping at just one piece of cake!
Are you drooling over this spectacular dessert, yet?
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Peach Hazelnut Cake with Caramel Icing
Texas Tornado Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×13" glass baking dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped
- 1 sauce pan
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts) (measure after chopping)
- 2 cups fruit cocktail with syrup, 16-oz. can (Do not drain)
- 2 tsp. baking soda (some may prefer only one teaspoon)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
BOILED COCONUT ICING:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup coconut
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk or half and half
Instructions
CAKE:
- Mix granulated sugar, eggs, fruit cocktail, baking soda and flour.
- Pour into greased and floured 9×13” pan or baking dish.
- Combine brown sugar and nuts; sprinkle over batter.
- Bake at 325° for 40 minutes.
- Spread icing on cake while hot.
BOILED COCONUT ICING:
- Combine icing ingredients in saucepan and boil for 2 minutes.
- Spoon over cake while hot.
- Let cool; cut into squares.