School is out, summer is here and it’s time for vacation! I don’t have any beach vacation plans… but with this delicious Pina Colada Cake I can enjoy a tropical flavored treat right at home.
I’ve shared my recipe for Pina Colada Cupcakes before, and have been wanting to make a cake version for quite a while. I’m so happy I finally made it! This cake is moist, rich and flavorful.
I’m guest posting over on Tidy Mom today and sharing the recipe and all the details on this Pina Colada Cake. Head on over and say hello!
Enjoy!
How to Make Pina Colada Cake
Pina Colada Cake
One bite of this moist pineapple cake, paired with a rich coconut cream cheese frosting and you've escaped to paradise.
Ingredients
Pineapple Cake
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sour cream any fat content
- 1 ½ cups canned crushed pineapple drained slightly
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 block, directly from fridge
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons coconut extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or dark rum
Instructions
Pineapple Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare your cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper, and greasing and lightly flouring the sides. (You can use three 6" pans, or 2 8" or 9" pans.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs and granulated sugar on medium speed until slightly thickened and light cream in color, about 2 minutes.
- Continue mixing on low speed, and add the oil and vanilla. Add in the sour cream and pineapple and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend just until combined and smooth.
- Divide the batter equally between the pans.
- Bake until just very lightly golden brown and in inserted toothpick comes our clean or with a few moist crumbs. The cakes should have a slight dome. Baked times are approximately 22 minutes for cupcakes and 35 to 40 minutes for 6" cakes.
- Cool cakes in pans for 15 to 30 minutes, remove from pans, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze cakes for about 30 minutes. This will help the cakes be firm enough to cut and level, and be easier to stack.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of an eclectic mixer (using a stand mixer or hand mixer), beat butter until creamy and smooth. Add cold cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined.
- Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add extracts after adding 1 or 2 cups of powdered sugar.
- While mixing, slowly add heavy cream or dark rum. Continue to beat an additional 30 seconds or so until nice and fluffy.
- Refrigerate frosting until ready to use.
To Assemble
- Once the cakes have chilled in the freezer, use a large serrated knife to level the cakes as needed by removing the domes.
- Apply a layer of frosting to the top of each cake and stack the cakes. Apply a crumb coat of the coconut cream cheese frosting by spreading a thin layer of icing around the sides and top of the cake. This layer of icing does not need to be perfectly smooth and it's ok if it has a few crumbs in it.
- Place entire cake in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes or until the cake and icing are firm. Remove cake from freezer and spread a final layer of frosting all over the cake.
- If desired, coat the sides of the cake with toasted coconut. To toast coconut: spread about 2 cups of shredded coconut onto a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes keeping a close eye on the coconut after 3 minutes. It will go from golden to burned quickly.
- Decorate cake with fresh pineapple or maraschino cherries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve and store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Also makes: a two layer 8" or 9" cake or 24 cupcakes
Approximate bake times are 22 minutes for cupcakes, 35-40 minutes for 6" cakes (divided into three pans).
Nutrition
Calories: 683kcalCarbohydrates: 95gProtein: 6gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 287mgPotassium: 126mgFiber: 1gSugar: 74gVitamin A: 672IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Such a gorgeous, fluffy and light cake – I love the flavor! Great job!
Yuuum!! Looks amazing! I want a bite!
The crumb in this cake looks fantastic!
Yuuuum! Need this for summer!
Oh Glory, this looks just fabulous! I wish I could have one of those slices right now!
Glory, what a stunning cake! Simple elegance, and simply delicious, I’m sure! I can’t wait to try it! Nancy
I’ve made this cake the opposite way: Coconut cake with pineapple curd in between the layers. So, so delicious!
Yummy! summer in a mouthful!
I made a pina colada layer cake with your recipe back in March for my Mom’s birthday. This cake base is delicious!! All of your recipes are amazing Glory! I love that everything I try from you is moist. Your recipes for pina colada cupcakes and the pineapple upside down cake are my go to recipes 🙂
It’s a beautiful looking cake!