This was a hit when the Frenchies (my uncle Manu and cousin Valerie) came to visit Grandma in June, 2015. My uncle Rene from Detroit was here, too and he really loved this cake, which was a huge compliment coming from a career baker. Although the ingredients and instructions seem daunting, this is an easy cake to make. So go for it!
Pina Colada Cake
A super moist and tasty cake! One 20 oz can of crushed pineapple will provide you with what you need for both the cake and pineapple filling. This cake tastes best if made 1-2 days in advance, but still tastes good day of. Will feed a good number of people, as the cake is very rich and a 1 inch slice is a satisfying serving.
Ingredients
- For Pineapple Cake:
- 2-1/2 c flour
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1-3/4 c sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum flavor
- 3/4 c sour cream any fat content
- 1-1/2 c canned crushed pineapple drained slightly (20oz can divided)
- For Pineapple Filling:
- 1/2 c sugar
- 3 T cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 oz crushed pineapple
- 1 T butter
- 1 T lemon juice
- Orange juice or water
- For Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 c 1 stick unsalted butter
- 8 oz 1 block cream cheese (directly from fridge)
- 3-1/2 c powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 to 1-1/2 tsp coconut flavor/extract
- 1 T heavy cream or dark rum
- 1 T lemon juice
- 2-3 c flaked coconut
Instructions
- For cake:
- Prepare three 9" (or 8") cake pans by greasing and lining with wax paper on the bottom. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Stir (with a whisk) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on medium speed until slightly thickened and a light cream color (about 2 minutes).
- Continue mixing on low speed and add the oil, vanilla and rum flavoring.
- Add in the sour cream and pineapple and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture in divided amounts (4 works well) and blend just until combined and smooth after each amount.
- Pour batter into the prepared pans, dividing the batter evenly between the pans.
- Bake until the cakes have a slight dome, are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Approximate bake times are 22 minutes for cupcakes, 30-35 minutes for 8-9" pans and 35-40 minutes for 6" pans.
- Allow cakes to cool in pans 15-30 minutes, then remove from the pans. Let cool on a rack completely before frosting.
- For the filling:
- In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Drain leftover pineapple from 20 oz can, reserving juice. Add pineapple to pan. Add orange juice or water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 3/4 cups; pour into pan and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and lemon juice. Cool completely.
- For frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until fully smooth.
- Add cut up cream cheese and beat until smooth and fully combined.
- Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add vanilla and coconut extracts after the first or second cup of powdered sugar.
- While mixing, slowly add heavy cream or dark rum.
- Use frosting at once or keep refrigerated until ready to frost cake. (Refrigerate for about 30 minutes if it is too soft before frosting the cake.)
- To assemble:
- Layer the three completely cooled cakes with a layer of the filling on the bottom cake and then a thin layer of frosting on the bottom side of the middle layer. Repeat with the top layer.
- Frost the entire cake with a very thin layer of icing, sealing in the seams of the filling between the layers. (This is known as the "crumb coat" , as a few cake crumbs might get mixed in with the icing.)
- Put in the fridge for about 30 minutes so the thin layer can firm up, then frost the cake with the remainder of the icing.
- Sprinkle the top and sides with the flaked coconut, if desired.
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