Piña Colada Cake (virgin)/ Pineapple Coconut Cake

Piña Colada is a delicious tropical cocktail that inspired me to make it as a cake. The satisfying combination of the coconut cream and the pineapple is absolutely delectable. This from-scratch cocktail cake is fabulously moist and soft as cotton candy. The bursting combination of flavors awakens your taste buds, and the sunshine-like color is sure to please your eyes. 

Baked this ultimate cake packed with incredible flavors on the occasion of my better half's birthday. To surprise him, I had to burn the candle at both ends. It was definitely worth it! I skipped the alcohol flavor and went with pineapple extract to keep it virgin. I gained a lot of experience working with egg whites while preparing the Meringue Cookies that I posted earlier. Hence, you will notice that the quantity of eggs is relatively higher than any regular cake to acquire the French spongy cake base. 

I must accept that I couldn't afford to sacrifice the color of this cocktail cake, especially when it comes to the pristine white whipped cream and the bright yellow. Brown sugar wasn't the right choice, hence I found an alternative choice, being Palm sugar candy/ Panam Kalkandu (in Tamil), which was lying in my pantry. Powdered the Palm sugar candy/ Rock candy using a mixer and tried with the whipped cream process. Surprisingly, it turned out to be perfect with its own benefits, hence I pursued the same for the entire cake recipe. Most importantly,  this palm rock candy is nothing but palm tree sap, which contains a lot of benefits. To name a few, it is a low glycemic sweetener, rich in vitamins, iron, increases metabolism, and cures cold and cough as well. You certainly must try this sweetener if you haven't, although regular white sugar works just fine. 

Using frozen pineapples was another challenge, as I was not aware of their outcome with regard to the sweetness and texture. Fresh pineapple was not available, so the closest was frozen rather than canned in order to have full control of the sugar level. Again, I was spellbound by the bursting tropical flavor of the outstanding pineapple filling. 

To cut down the baking time, I chose to use 2 pans. Unfortunately,  I had them slightly vary by an inch. I initially planned to trim off the edges to even it out. But when I stacked them, I couldn't afford to lose the extra inches, as the cake already looked smaller than expected. Hence came up with this curvy shape and liked what I created as well. 

Dessicated coconut (untoasted) is sparingly used for decorative purposes. I personally don't prefer toasted coconut on my cake, although you may pursue it by all means. The cake, frosting, and fillings can be prepared the previous day, like I did. Give your cake base the extra time to cool down before you slice it into layers. Icing the cake was pretty quick, and I really enjoyed the process, but I failed to capture the step-by-step picture. 

Imagine you can acquire all the wonderful flavors of the tropical drink in a slice of cake. It can't get any better. Give it a try for any of your upcoming occasions or turn a mundane day extra special with this dessert. I can assure you will be surprised by the compliments that pour in from all who get to taste this Pina Colada cake. I would love to hear from you about how it turned out for you. Don't forget to tag me as well. 

Cakes you might be interested in are linked with the title below.

European Tiramisu Cake

Caramel Crunch Ice Cream cake

Classic Opera

PREP TIME

40 mins

Bake TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hr 10 mins

Category: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican fusion

Level: Medium

Yields: 7 in cake (medium-sized)

Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 287
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 21 g	32 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	4 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 267 mg	11 %
Potassium 2 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 18 g	6 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	3 %
Sugars 6 g
Protein 2 g	3 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	4 %
Calcium	34 %
Iron	0 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated, nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

Egg whites - 4

Cream of tartar/ white vinegar/ lime juice - ½ tsp

Palm candy(panam kalkandu) (powdered) / Sugar(fine) - 1/4 cup

Wet Ingredients:

Egg yolks - 4

Palm candy / Sugar(fine) - 2 tbsp

Vegetable oil (no flavor) - 3½  tbsp

Coconut cream - 2 Tbsp

Pineapple juice - 2 tbsp

Pineapple extract or vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Dry ingredients:

All-purpose flour -3/4 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - ½ tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Pineapple filling:

Pineapple chunks - 1½ cups

Palm candy/ Sugar - 2 tbsp

Cornstarch - 2 tbsp

Pineapple juice - ½ cup

Pineapple or almond extract - 1 tsp

Coconut Whipped Frosting:

Whipping cream - 2 cups

Palm candy/ Sugar - 2 tbsp

Coconut cream 2 tsp

Yellow food gel (optional) - 2 drops

Brushing the layers:

Pineapple juice - ½ cup

Decorations (optional):

Desiccated coconut - 1/4 cup

Fresh mint leaves - a few

Requirements:

8 inch and 7 inch springform pan*

Piping bag with star tip

Parchment paper or butter for greasing.

Cling wrap (optional) to refrigerate the whipped cream. 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F. Prepare your pan by greasing it with butter and dusting it with flour or lining it with parchment paper.  

2. Separate the eggs carefully and add the egg whites into a clean whipping bowl. Start whipping on low speed and gradually increase the speed. To this, add cream of tartar and continue whipping until foamy. 

3. Sprinkle the powdered or fine sugar in small batches, about a tablespoon at a time, on high until the sugar dissolves completely. Make sure you sprinkle the sugar painstakingly slowly, as it makes a huge difference with the outcome. Continue whipping on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. If using a stand mixer, transfer the egg whites into another bowl*.

4. In the same bowl, drop in the egg yolks, sugar, oil, coconut cream, pineapple juice, and pineapple extract. Continue whipping until well incorporated. 

5. Turn off your mixer and sift in the dry ingredients - all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Now, carefully whisk the ingredients, preventing any lumps, until well combined.

6. To the above mixture, gently fold in the prepared egg whites using a spatula in small batches to prevent over-mixing. In order to retain its airy texture, fold in a circular motion carefully. 

7. Transfer prepared batter into your prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter to help the air bubbles escape, or use a skewer and run it through the batter.

8. Bake in the middle rack in your preheated oven for 30-35 mins or until done (as the oven temperature varies slightly). Test by inserting a toothpick to come out clean.

9. Remove the pan and rest to cool completely for at least an hour. Run a knife around and remove the cake carefully from the pan, and slice to make layers. I sliced both the cakes into halves to get 4 layers.

Pineapple filling:

1. Thaw frozen pineapple chunks. Crush them in a blender with a cup of water. Strain to set aside 1 cup of juice for later use. The pulp is used to make the filling.

2. Set a saucepan on medium heat and mix in the crushed pineapple pulp and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. In a separate cup, take ½ cup of pineapple juice and mix in cornflour, avoiding any lumps. Pour this mixture into the saucepan and stir vigorously until the sauce thickens. Pineapple or vanilla extract, and give it a good stir. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. When refrigerated, this filling can hold well for a couple of days. 

Coconut whipped frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl, pour in the whipping cream, sugar, and coconut cream. Whisk on medium speed for about 4-5 minutes until you get stiff peaks. Refrigerate with a cling wrap on until ready to frost.

Layering the cake:

1. Spread a dollop of frosting on your board and then place a layer of cake to keep your cake to stay in place. 

2. Brush the reserved pineapple juice onto this cake layer for the flavor to penetrate and keep it moist.

3. Spread the coconut whipped cream layer evenly using a spatula. 

4. Now spread an even and generous layer of pineapple filling.

5. Place the 2nd layer and repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 until the top layer is placed. 

6. Apply a layer of crumb coating with the coconut frosting and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. 

7. With the remaining frosting, I added yellow food gel and whipped it up for the color to mix in. This step is completely optional. 

8. Apply an even final coat. Using a star tip, I piped in the top outer layer. Patted dessicated coconut on the bottom of the cake for texture and color. Placed a few fresh mint leaves for some contrasting color. 

NOTES AND TIPS

1. You've got to be extra cautious when whipping the egg whites to achieve stiff peaks. The bowl has to be clean as a whistle and dry as a bone. I would suggest you clean with white vinegar prior to adding the egg whites. When this step is done, you can transfer and add the yolks to the same bowl without giving it a rinse.

2. My pan sizes vary here in order to fit in the convection oven. You can also use 1 pan to bake the cake, but remember to increase the baking time by about 20 minutes.