Pina Colada Cake

This cake is soooooo good. Very light in texture; perfect anytime.

It's base is a boxed cake mix (cake snobs: do not flog me with your wood spoons). The rum in the cake will make you oblivious to the cake mix base.

The frosting's base is Cool Whip (frosting snobs: do not come at me with your hand mixers twirling at the highest setting). The rum in the frosting will make you oblivious to the Cool Whip base.

While you're eating a piece, you'll feel the warmth of the tropical sunshine on your face. You'll hear the surf pounding into the beach. And, then you'll say 'I'll have another drink, I mean piece, please'.

I bring you Pina Colada Cake.

Life is good..............................


Pina Colada Cake

350 degrees
2-9" round cake pans, buttered and floured

Cake:

1 pkg (2 layer size) white cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-O Coconut Cream Flavor Instant Pudding
4 eggs, room temp
1/2 Cup water
1/3 Cup dark rum
1/4 canola oil

Blend all ingredients in mixing bowl. Beat four minutes at medium speed. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly pressed. If you insert a cake tester or toothpick in middle of cake, it should come out clean.

Cool in pans on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and continue cooling on rack, until completely cooled.

Frosting:
1 can, 8 oz, crushed pineapple, with its on juices
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-O Coconut Cream flavor instant pudding
1/3 Cup dark rum (I used 1/4 cup)
1 8 oz container Cool Whip (I used the Extra Creamy), thawed
Sweetened coconut

Combine the can of pineapple (do not drain), pudding and rum. Beat until well blended.

Fold in the thawed Cool Whip.


Assemble:

Place one layer on serving plate. Top with frosting.

Place second layer on top of first. Frost top and sides.

Sprinkle coconut over top and sides; use as much or as little as you like. It's easy to get the coconut on the top of the cake. See below for how I got the coconut on the sides.

Chill.

Refrigerate leftover cake.


My Notes:

I rarely make cakes, but I have to tell you: this cake looked like I bought it from some 'best of' bakery . It is a thing of beauty. Your family/guests (and remember, treat family like guests and guests like family) will be impressed when they see this fluffy cloud put down in front of them.

This is a Bacardi Rum recipe, so the recipe calls for Bacardi. If you have other rum, use it.

Really important to mix the cake batter for the full four minutes. It really builds up the volume.

No problem making the cake early in the day. Just keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.

I did not butter and flour the pans. I buttered the bottom of the pan and then placed a round of parchment paper over the butter. Worked very well. When I took the cake out of the pan, I removed the parchment paper and let it continue to cool sans parchment paper.

The 'how to' of the coconut application. History first. This recipe came to me from my neighbor, out here in the Happenin' West Valley. First, this cake gets your attention with its appearance, then it gets your attention with its taste. So, when she handed me a piece, I immediately noticed the coconut on the side of the cake.

'How'd you get the coconut on the sides of the cake', I queried. Her response: I held the plate over the sink and just threw the coconut at it.

That's exactly how I did it. I held the cake over the sink. I did not measure out any amount of coconut. I just kept reaching into the bag. Putting the coconut on the top of the cake is EASY. Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle. Getting the coconut on the sides required the throwing technique. It worked very well. And, it was fun to do.