This one's for my aunt Terri out in West Virginia. I know I forgot to send you that recipe via email. Hopefully this makes up for it.
This cake recipe is a combination of three or four different cake recipes I read. I had found a ton of pineapple cakes and coconut cakes, and even a bunch of pina colada cakes, but nothing quite like I wanted.
This was for my dad's Hawaii 5-O birthday party, which you can read more about here!
This was a very moist cake! It was a little bit dense, but moist enough that it was not heavy. I have virtually no baking experience or education yet, but I am always happy with what I bake. This cake got tons of compliments, although I had forgotten how many people aren't a fan of coconut! I'll have to remember not to invite them next time... JK (obviously...).
This would be awesome for Easter, Mother's Day, or any great spring or summer event. It's a delicious centerpiece to any dessert table!
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- salt
- 1 2/3 fine grain sugar
- 1 [13.5 oz] can of sweetened cream of coconut, mixed well
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- simple syrup
Filling:
- 1 [20 oz] can crushed pineapple in its own juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter
Coconut Buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cup butter, softened (I prefer salted butter, but you could use unsalted butter + 1 tsp salt)
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 2 packs of pirouette cookies
Instructions
Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bases of 2 8-inch round cake pants with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan with coconut oil or butter.
2. Pour the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to mix. In your stand mixer (or large bowl) beat coconut cream, butter, and sugar together until you've got soft peaks. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Scrape everything down from the sides of the bowls to get it all incorporated.
3. Turn the mixer on low speed, add half the dry ingredients, the buttermilk, then the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing fully in between additions.
4. In a separate bowl (sorry for all the dishes) beat the egg whites with clean, dry beaters until you get stiff peaks. I was pretty lax on this step, which I'm pretty sure is why my cake was on the dense side. Fold the beaten eggs into the batter, GENTLY.
5. Divide the cake batter between the cake pans evenly. Tap each pan against the counter several times to get out large air bubbles and even out the tops.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Let them cool completely. Remove the cakes from the pans and place them on a rack.
Pineapple Filling:
1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, and cornstarch.
2. Add pineapple with juice and mix well.
3. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a bubbling boil, continuously stir. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes. It will a bit milky.
4. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir, then let cool.
Coconut Buttercream:
1. On high speed, beat butter for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until fully blended. Add coconut extract, vanilla, salt, and coconut cream. If the consistency is too thick to spread, add more coconut cream.
Construction:
1. If the cake baked up into a dome on top, trim the dome off so you have a flat surface. Place the first cake down on the cake stand
2. Mix simple syrup and coconut cream. Brush the cooled cake with the mixture to add moisture!
3. Spoon your pineapple filling onto the first cake, using an uneven spatula to even it out.
4. Stack the second cake on top and press filling into any empty spaces around the edge,
5. Brush the second cake with the simple syrup mixture. You can brush 3-4 times, as long as the cake continues to absorb the liquid.
6. Icing the cake with a flat spatula, It doesn't need to be fancy, since you'll be adding decorations, but be gentle so as not to add cake crumbs into the icing.
7. Bread your pirouette cookies in half. You'll need just slightly more than a whole pack. Place them, broken end up, on the side of the cake to mimic a bamboo fence. Work your way around.
8. Take the calico coconut mixture and sprinkle it generously on the top of the cake.
I'd love to see photos of your work! Let me know if you made this and how it turned out. It was really popular with my family.