Pineapple Coconut Cake With Warm Coconut Icing Paulas Magazine Recipes

COCONUT PINEAPPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Make cakes:
• Preheat oven to 350°F and butter 2 (8-inch) square cake pans (2 inches deep).
• Sift flour with salt into a bowl.
• Heat eggs and sugar in large metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, gently whisking constantly, until lukewarm.
• Remove bowl from heat and add vanilla, then beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until thick and pale and tripled in volume (about 5 minutes with a standing mixer or 10 minutes with a hand held). Sift flour and salt over eggs in 2 batches, folding gently but thoroughly after each batch. Fold in melted butter until combined. Divide batter evenly between cake pans, smoothing tops.
• Bake cakes in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean and cakes are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 5 minutes, then invert onto racks to cool completely.
• Make pineapple filling:
• Stir together filling ingredients in a heavy saucepan until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then simmer, stirring, 3 minutes. Cool filling completely, stirring occasionally.
• Make rum syrup:
• Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Transfer to a small bowl and chill until ready to use.
• Assemble cake:
• Trim edges of cakes if necessary and cut each horizontally in half with a long serrated knife to form a total of 4 thin layers. Put 1 cake layer, cut side up, on a cake plate and brush top with some rum syrup, then spread half of pineapple filling over it. Top with another cake layer and brush with syrup, then spread with about 2/3 cup butter cream. Top with a third cake layer and brush with syrup, then spread remaining pineapple over it. Top with fourth layer, cut side down, and brush with remaining syrup. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining butter cream, then coat with coconut.

COCONUT CAKE WITH CRUSHED PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and dust lightly with flour.
• Prepare cake: Stir flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and melted butter until just combined. Add sour cream, vanilla and coconut extracts, undrained pineapple and coconut; stir until combined. Divide batter evenly into the three prepared pans.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in the middle of a layer comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans on wire racks about 10 minutes. Turn layers out onto the racks and cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Prepare the buttercream frosting: Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy and lighter in color. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon cream; beat on medium speed for about 1 minute. When the sugar is fully incorporated, add vanilla, salt, 1 additional cup of powdered sugar, and 1 more tablespoon cream; beat for about 2 minutes. Beat in the remaining powdered sugar. If the frosting is too stiff, add a few drops of cream and stir again. Repeat until the desired consistency is reached.
• Prepare the filling: Remove 1 cup of the frosting and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add drained, crushed pineapple and stir. Add a few drops of reserved pineapple juice if the mixture is too stiff.
• To assemble: place one cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread 1/2 of the filling on top of the first layer. Put the second layer in place and spread the remaining filling on it. Place the third layer on the top and spread the remaining buttercream frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Garnish the top of the cake with flaked coconut, and add drained pineapple tidbits as desired.