Super moist pineapple cake with vanilla rum frosting and toasted coconut…you are going to love this Piña Colada Cake!
When I was a kid, my parents enjoyed occasionally taking the family out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. One of the biggest treats about going to this particular restaurant was that, when we went Mom & Dad would let us get virgin Piña Coladas. I’ve always loved pineapple and coconut together and to this day piña colada is one of my favorite flavors of things. This cake is a fun way to play up those flavors with pineapple cake and a coconut frosting.
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 cake pan or spray it with baking spray. Set it aside.
Grab a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple and pour it into a sieve to drain. Don’t squeeze this out, just let it sit while you prepare the batter.
In a bowl, combine 2 1/2 c flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir together and set aside.
In your mixing bowl, you will need 3 eggs.
Along with the eggs, combine 1 2/3 c sugar, 1/2 c plain applesauce, and 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil.
To those add a teaspoon of vanilla and a half teaspoon of coconut extract. Beat those together for about a minute until nice and smooth.
Add in half of your flour mixture and mix it in.
Add in 3/4 cup sour cream. Mix it until smooth and then add in the rest of the flour mixture – again mixing until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Fold in the drained pineapple. Pour it into your prepared baking pan.
Bake this for 35-40 minutes or until it tests done in the center with a toothpick. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Now for the frosting. In your mixing bowl, beat 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted, room temperature butter. Beat it until fluffy.
Add in 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese. Again, beat it until fluffy.
Add in a teaspoon of vanilla.
Stir in 4 cups of powdered sugar, mixing until smooth.
Finally stir in a tablespoon of dark rum. Beat it until combined and smooth.
Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake.
For the final touch, we’ll toast some shredded sweetened coconut. Spread about 2/3 cup of a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
Let the coconut cool, then sprinkle it over the top of the cake.
That’s it.
Cut yourself a square and enjoy your piña colada on a plate.
Piña Colada Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 1/2 c flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 2/3 c sugar
- 1/2 c plain apple sauce
- 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 3/4 c sour cream
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
For the Frosting
- 1/2 c 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 4 c powdered confectioners sugar
- 1 Tb dark rum
- 2/3 c sweetened shredded coconut for topping
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour a 9×13 cake pan, or spray it with baking spray. Set it aside.
- Grab the can of crushed pineapple and pour it into a sieve to drain. Don’t squeeze this out, just let it sit while you prepare the batter.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together and set aside.
- In your mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and coconut extract. Beat those together for about a minute until nice and smooth.
- Add in half of your flour mixture and mix it in.
- Add in the sour cream. Mix it until smooth and then add in the rest of the flour mixture – again mixing until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Fold in the drained pineapple. Pour it into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake this for 35-40 minutes or until it tests done in the center with a toothpick. Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Now for the frosting. In your mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add in the cream cheese. Again, beat it until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar, mixing until smooth. Finally, stir in the dark rum. Beat it until combined and smooth. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake.
- For the final touch, we’ll toast some shredded coconut. Spread it on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely. Sprinkle it over the top of the cake.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Hi Constance,
I am going to make this cake tomorrow for the 4th. Is the shredded coconut sweetened? Thanks so much!
Yes, I normally used sweetened coconut :)
That looks so good!
Oh yes, this is going on my to do list. The coconut wins me over every single time. I love this cake and I bet my mom would love it too!
Ooh need a bite right now of this gorgeous cake :) Pineapple and coconut are a great combo and this seems so summery and delicious :)
This looks like a lovely spring cake — thanks!
Ppl like you get all the bransi. I just get to say thanks for he answer.
What an amazing cake! I love the flavors of Pina Coladas! Yum!
Pina Coladas in cake form. How could I ever resist?!?!
Piña coladas were my favorite drink for ages – don’t ask how many I drank on my honeymoon :) -and I know I would adore a piña colada cake! Delicious as well as pretty!
Cream cheese, pineapple, and coconut?! Oh my yum!
Now that is perfection, I must make this for my girlfriend some time, this is her favorite flavor pairing. Happy Mother’s Day!!
Yum, does piña colada cake ever sound good!! Happy Mother’s Day!
This looks fantastic, I love coconut! Yum!
I used to get virgin strawberry daquris and my mom would taste them first to make sure they were actually virgin. She caught them make a mistake once! This cake sounds so good – I love a sheet cake!
Thank you, Constance. Happy Mother’s Day to you.
Oh my gosh! I LOVE you r pina colada cake! It looks just amazing!!!
That. In my mouth. Right now!
Oh, my! I am swooning!!! This pina colada cake would be the perfect mother’s day dessert…now if only someone in my family besides me could bake!!!
What a delicious cake. I have always loved pina colada flavour too. :-)
Simple and so delicious! It has pineapple and coconut, so that makes it healthy cake, right? ;-)
Your pina colada cake looks sooo good, Constance. How fun that your parents allowed virgin versions of drinks. I got Shirley Temple mock-cocktails =)
Anyway, appreciate your sharing the scrumptious how-to for this delectable cake!
Happy, happy Mother’s Day =)