Pina Colada Cake

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My Favorite Pina Colada Cake - Pineapple Coconut Cake (video recipe)

This pina colada cake brings your favorite cocktail to life. With crushed pineapple and coconut in both the rum-flavored cake and the filling, this is truly a celebration of tropical flavors.

How to make a layer cake with Pineapple and coconut like the cocktail Pina Colada — Pineapple Coconut Layer Cake - Pina Colada

If you've been to Asia on vacation, then you know that pineapple and coconut are two very popular fruits in summer and come in abundance. That is why you get them in everything from food to desserts and cocktails.

The pina colada is a popular rum-based cocktail with 1/4 cup rum, 1/4 cup coconut cream, and 1/2 cup pineapple juice. The virgin pina colada is my kids' favorite. It is comprised of 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup pineapple juice. The combination of pineapple and coconut is absolute heaven, no wonder this cake is so popular around the world.

About this pina colada cake

So, quite simply we bring the three main elements of the Pina Colada into our cake. Hence, this cake has rum, crushed pineapple and of course, coconut.

Most often, you get a Pina Colada cake made of rum-based cake layers with pineapple filling and coconut frosting. I wanted to do more. There are three components to making this cake:

Cake layers - Based on my classic vanilla cake, this one has all three: rum, crushed pineapple, and coconut milk.
The filling - Made with butter, crushed pineapple, coconut milk, shredded coconut, and pineapple juice. This is so delicious on its own. The butter in the filling helps add stability to the filling when it chills.
Frosting - Today, I am using a Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC). Of course, there are other buttercreams that would work just as well. See my 50 plus buttercream frosting recipes on this blog. The video below does not show make miking the frosting but I do have a video on how to make SMBC.

The process and timeline for this cake is very simple.

Prepare cake batter - 10 minutes
Bake cake - 25 minutes
Chill cake - 4 hours at least (preferably overnight)
Prepare buttercream - 15 minutes
Prepare the filling - 5 mins
Crumb coat cake - 15 minutes
Chill cake - 15 minutes
Second coat - 15 minutes
Chill cake - 15 minutes
Final smoothing - 15 minutes
Finishing touches - 10 minutes

Useful tools and tips

If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer. Because, often, we try to mix by hand and then we are too tired to give it enough creaming or mixing. So, if you are making this cake go ahead and remove that K-Mix or Kitchen Aid from your kitchen cabinet. You don’t have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer also works great.
I believe in measuring ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scale one of the most valuable items when baking.
And the same goes for my measuring cups and measuring spoons. It’s always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
Also, I think one set of baking pans is a must for anyone a home baker. I often use three 6-inch round cakes, which I often split into 4 layers for a tall display. Some times, I use three 8-inch round pans or three 7-inch cakes.
Once baked, always invert your cakes on a cooling rack. This enables air circulation and prevents the steam from pooling at the bottom of the pan.
Lastly, every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of cakes, a skewer inserted in the center is a great indication. If the cake bakes too fast or too slow compared to the time given, it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration.
An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do then is adjust the temperature accordingly.

Ingredients and substitutes

Flour - I am using cake flour, but all-purpose flour works just as well.
Sugar - Fine-grain white sugar works best as it's easier to cream with the butter.
Butter - Use unsalted butter at firm room temperature, not too soft. This works better to cream with the sugar into a light and airy mixture.
Pineapple - I've used fresh pineapple because it is in the season. And yet, canned or frozen pineapple work as well.
Coconut - Canned coconut milk and shredded or desiccated coconut all work in this recipe.
Rum - Pina colada is a rum-based drink with pineapple and coconut. But, you can omit the rum if you want this to be non-alcoholic. Alternatively, you can also use 1/2 tsp rum extract.

How to make a Pina Colada cake (save/pin)

Cake

Preheat the oven at 170 C / 340 F.
Grease and line 2 x 6-inch round baking pans.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time.
Alternate the flour mixture with the pineapple puree and coconut milk in three batches.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and airy

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Add crushed pineapple to the cake batter

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Finally, add the rum and vanilla extract.
Divide the batter between the two baking pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the oven and cool on the cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Then, invert from the baking pans and let cool completely before frosting.

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Divide the cake batter between two cake pans

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Bake the cake until a skewer inserted comes clean

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Filling

Cream together the butter, sugar, and salt.
Then, add the coconut cream, pineapple puree, shredded coconut, combine well.
Add 2 to 4 tbsp pineapple juice as necessary to make a spreadable consistency.

Swiss meringue buttercream

I shared how to make Swiss meringue buttercream in this video.
Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer.
Using a whisk, place the bowl over a double boiler and constantly whip until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are fairly warm (about 160 F).
Take the bowl off the heat and whip the egg whites until you have a thick meringue with stiff peaks.
Let the mixer continue to whip on medium-low until the mixer bowl feels cool to touch.
Then, gradually add butter, one cube at a time, with the mixer on medium speed.
Once all the butter is in, whip on medium-high for 2 minutes.
Lastly, add the vanilla and rum.

Assemble

Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using.
Once cooled, cut the domes off the cake layers with a serrated bread knife.
Brush each layer with the cooled, simple syrup (simple syrup is just boiled sugar and water - I shared the recipe here).

Invert the cake out of the pan and cool completely

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Simple syrup the cake to keep them moist.

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Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.
Fill the cake - Pip a buttercream dam (edge) on the cake layer (see video).
Top with a big dollop of pineapple coconut filling – spread evenly with an offset spatula but within the piped buttercream dam/edge (see video).
Then, top the second cake layer on top followed by buttercream dam and filling.
Then, place the last cake layer on top.

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Crumb coat the layers with filling and frosting

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Place the cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, so the layers hold together and the filling will not leak out.
Crumb coat - spread more buttercream around and top of the cake (see video).
Chill the cake for another 15 to 30 minutes.
Second coat - then spread more buttercream around and top fo the cake.
Use a bench scraper to smooth the sides of the cake and an offset spatula to smooth the top. Chill cake for 30 minutes.
Final smoothing - dip an off-set spatula and bench scraper in warm water and smooth the sides and top of the cake.
Add the remaining frosting in a large piping bag with the star tip.

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Pipe swirls on the cake with remaining frosting

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Pipe swirls on top of the cake (see video).
Place a slice/piece of fresh pineapple on each swirl, and a generous sprinkle of shredded coconut at the base of the cake (see video).

Frequently asked questions

How long will this Pina Colada cake keep?

The cake layers will keep at room temperature unfrosted for 3 days. Once frosted, in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to a month.

Can I use oil instead of butter for this Pina Colada cake?

This cake works better with butter, especially because the filling is quite heavy, so it may cause the cake to sink.

Can I use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour for this cake?

Cake flour gives a wonderfully soft and tender cake. But, I personally prefer to use all-purpose flour for this cake because the filling is heavy.

Can I use fruit powder for this Pina Colada cake?

You can soak 1/3 cup pineapple powder + 1/4 cup water, then add it to the cake batter. The filling will taste better with fresh or canned pineapple.

Can I frost this cake with whipped cream?

You certainly can frost this cake with whipped cream. For a lighter pineapple cake with whipped cream, use my genoise cake with the pineapple coconut filling and stabilized whipped cream.

What other frostings can I use for this Pina Colada cake?

Swiss or Italian meringue, both work wonderfully with this cake. You can also use my American buttercream, vanilla buttercream frosting, or Emines frosting for this cake. I have 50 plus buttercream frosting recipes on this blog so the is so much you can try.

What other pans can I use for this Pina Colada cake?

Well, if you don't want to make this a layer cake,
- You can use a 6-inch bundt pan to make a Pina Colada bundt.
- Double the recipe to make a 9 x 11 sheet pan.
- Use a 7 x 7-inch square pan for a coffee cake.
- These will also make 12 beautiful Pina Colada cupcakes.

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Coconut Cake Recipe - Desiccated Coconut Cake

Coconut is such a versatile flavor and can be used in savory or sweet dishes. This simple, easy and effortless recipe makes a delicious coconut cake from scratch that you can whip in five minutes. It tastes great unfrosted as a coffee cake, served with whipped cream for a light dessert or some decadent buttercream for a more indulgent treat or celebration cake.

Virgin Pina Colada aka Pina Colada with Chia Seeds

This virgin pina colada is a beautiful twist and variation on the classic Pina Colada with the addition of chia seeds minus the alcohol. A simple, easy and refreshing combination of tropical flavors from the crushed pineapple, coconut cream and honey. Works as a perfect breakfast, mid day treat or a healthy dessert option.

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