I feel like I have seen cute pineapple cakes EVERYWHERE on Instagram lately, and I wanted to make my own. So I did. May I introduce: Pina Colada Cake. This cake is so spectacular. It has pineapple and coconut IN the cake, a pineapple rum jam BETWEEN the layers and RUM in the frosting!!!!!! Can it get any better than that? When it comes to baking with alcohol, I always think more is better. I say that NOT because I am trying to get you drunk off of a cake, but because the alcohol cooks out of everything, and all you’re left with is the flavor. But I want to make sure that the flavor actually comes through. So I add just a bit more than most recipes recommend, to make sure that my treat tastes as good as it possibly can.
What I love most about this pina colada cake, aside from its appearance, is how well all of the elements work together. The pineapple jam holds in so much moisture so the cake is never dry. I love the toasted coconut with the Swiss meringue buttercream and how it gives both a beautiful texture and flavor to the rest of the cake. The cake itself seems like it might be stodgy, but it is actually quite light considering all of its fillings. Don’t get me wrong, this cake is no angel food cake, but even with the pineapple and coconut in the batter, it is not heavy in the slightest.
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream
There are some important things to look out for when making the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. First, you want your butter incredibly soft, but still solid. Think room temperature, easily spreadable. Second, you want to make sure that after your meringue is whipped to stiff peaks, that it is cool to the touch and NOT warm. If it is warm you will need to cool it down before adding in your butter or else the butter will melt as it incorporates and you will be left with a sad goopy mess. Lastly, I know it seems like a lot of butter, but this recipe makes FIVE cups of frosting. By no means do you have to use it all on this cake. You could even half the recipe if you choose to do so, but beware you might run out of frosting. That is why I like to make the full recipe and then use the left overs on cupcakes and other things. If you follow these suggestions, I think you will love how your frosting turns out.
Pina Colada Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Dark Rum
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
- 2 cups Crushed Pineapple (drained)
For the Pineapple Jam:
- 1 cup Crushed Pineapple
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dark Rum
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
For the Frosting:
- 6 Large Egg Whites
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 1½ cups Unsalted Butter Very soft, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Dark Rum
- 1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 cups Toasted Coconut
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside. While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and whole milk until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and shredded coconut, mixing again until light and fluffy, about another 2 minutes.Assemble the cake by laying down one layer, then frosting with 1/5 of the frosting. Repeat with remaining layers, then top with toasted coconut!
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and rum.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Alternate adding in the flour mixture and buttermilk to the melted butter mixture in the large bowl. Start by adding 1/3 of the flour mixture and mixing until just combined, then add in 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat until all of the flour and buttermilk has been incorporated. Once your last round of flour has gone in, stir until a couple streaks of flour remain DO NOT OVER MIX. At this point, using a rubber spatula, fold in the crushed pineapple and coconut to evenly distribute it throughout the batter.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Pineapple Jam:
- Combine the pineapple, sugar, rum, and cornstarch in a saucepan on the stove. Stir together and allow it to sit over medium heat until boiling. Once it boils it will begin to thicken. When it reaches your desired thickness, take it off the heat and set it aside to cool. It will thicken as it cools.
For the Frosting:
- Over a double boiler, combine egg whites and sugar. Stir with a whisk until the whites are hot to the touch and all of the sugar granules are dissolved. Take off the heat and using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, whip the egg white mixture to stiff peaks. Once stiff peaks are achieved, feel the bowl. If the bowl is warm, cool it off in the fridge until the sides feel cool.
- Switching to a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer, or continue using the beaters of a hand mixer, begin to add the butter to the meringue. Add the butter slowly, a couple tablespoons at a time until entirely incorporated. Add the vanilla, rum, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Toast your coconut under your oven broiler until it turns golden. Watch closely and do not let it burn.
For Assembly:
- Pipe your frosting in a circle on top of the first layer. The ring should follow the edges of the cake. Fill the inside of the frosting circle with half of your pineapple jam. Pipe more frosting over the jam to cover it completely, and place the next cake layer on top. Repeat. For the top layer, simply frost the entire cake with the frosting.
- Once the entire cake is covered with frosting, press the toasted coconut into the sides of the frosting so it sticks.
Follow me on Instagram @BAKINGWITHLEMON and hashtag your posts #BAKINGWITHLEMON if you make one of my recipes! I adore seeing you guys get creative with baking!
Looks absolutely delicious.