salted chocolate | life with a dash of flavor

Then you’ll LOVE this recipe!

Piña Colada Cake? Yes, please!

We’re going on a Caribbean cruise in little over a month. I haven’t really thought much about it since I booked it in December, but last night while booking our excursions, I got the itch. I don’t know if I can wait a whole. five. weeks.

Excuse my pity party.

Luckily, I stumbled across this recipe, and I think making this cake should tide me over until then. Or at least until I find some sort of Strawberry Daiquiri cookie recipe or something.

I might even get a little crazy and make a few fresh coladas while we officially move in next week. Hooray!!

Piña Colada Cake

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup light  brown sugar
1 tbsp  dark rum
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup cream of coconut
1/2 cup  finely chopped fresh pineapple (or pineapple from a can, strained, juice reserved)

To brush over the cake
1 to 2 tablespoons rum (SAYS optional, I say NECESSARY!)
2 tablespoons pineapple juice (optional)

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of table or fine sea salt
1 1/2 to 3 tbsp pineapple juice

2 tbsp dark rum for sprinkling over cake (SAYS optional, I say NECESSARY)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and prepare the pan with cooking spray, butter or butter and flour.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat eggs, one at a time, and rum. Add cream of coconut and mix; the batter will look like it’s curdling but will all work out in the end. Add dry ingredients, half at a time, mixing and scraping down bowl between additions. Mix only until flour is just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in bits of pineapple.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment.

For extra flavor, while the cake is still hot you can brush it with rum (!) or pineapple juice.

Cool cake completely at room temperature, or in the fridge if you are impatient for cake (holla!). Once completely cool, place powdered sugar and salt in a small bowl with 1 1/2 tablespoons pineapple juice and whisk until a thick glaze forms. Thin glaze only as needed, adding additional pineapple juice a teaspoon at a time until glaze is just thick enough to pour. Pour glaze into middle of cake and if it’s too thick to crawl to the edges itself, nudge it with a spatula until the top is covered. Serve immediately or let it set in the fridge for 20 minutes or so.

Side Note: Best enjoyed while watching the sun set. It gives the best effect.