Frosted Coconut Pineapple Upside Down Cake
So guys, I haven't been able to wipe this big silly perma grin off my face all week. Remember last week (which now feels like a bazillion weeks ago) when I told you that my handsome man was out of town and I was drowning my sorrows in some Ć¼ber cheesy mac and cheese?
Well ….
He's back! And I'm so super happy to be done with that whole mopping around thing and be back to the having fun thing that I normally do.
We've been riding our bikes and taking long walks and cooking up some great meals together. {I'm a little embarrassed about how much that sounds like a cheesy dating ad. Subbing ‘we've been' with' I like to', of course.}
We often cook together and have lots of fun in the kitchen. Even when we have different ideas about how the meal should come together and we break down to food fights. Joking. Sort of. ā wink ā
Have you guys ever been to Vancouver before? If you haven't you really should come to visit. This time of year is particularly amazing. Earlier this week we rode our bikes to the beach and worked on our tans. Then a few days later we grabbed our snowboards and our hoodies and headed to Whistler for some spring riding. They could have been done on the same day. It's like having your cake and eating it too.
And if you're going to eat cake, you should eat THIS cake. This Frosted Coconut Pineapple Upside Down Cake …
When I was in full on I-miss-my-man-mode, I wanted to make him something special for when he got home. Or, umm, devise a plan so that he'd never leave again. Ya, that sounds more like the truth.
He's been asking me for about 1,155 days (that's about how long we've known each other for, not that anyone's counting) to make him a pineapple upside down cake. He also loves coconut and I can't get my head around a cake without icing. I even read a forum online about whether or not you can frost a pineapple upside down cake. The unanimous answer was NO. What the …??
Well, I say you can. So I did. And … this is the way it's meant to be eaten.
Just look at all that frosting!!
{There is about twice as much frosting there than you'll have if you follow the recipe. I got a little carried away and try as I did I just couldn't find room on the cake for it.}
My fav part of this is the big flaky coconut on the sides. If I were to make this again (who am I kidding, of course, I'll make this again) I'll sprinkle some in the middle of the cake too.
If coconut is really not your thing you could always replace it with some chopped nuts. Or maybe use a little of both. Now you've got me dreaming of making this again!
Btw: does a picture of a cake with one slice missing from it remind you of Pacman too? It's all I can see. š
If you make this Frosted Coconut Pineapple Upside Down Cake, make sure to snap a pic and tag @theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your photos. I love seeing TEM recipes you create.
Frosted Coconut Pineapple Upside Down Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Ā½ cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the cake pans
- 2 14-ounce cans pineapple rounds, reserve the juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Ā½ teaspoons baking powder
- Ā½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Ā½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canned crushed pineapple
- Ā½ cup vegetable oil
- Ā½ cup buttermilk
- 1 Ā½ tablespoons dark rum, optional
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Ā½ cup fine shredded coconut
- 1 cup large flaked coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Ā½ cup butter, at room temperature
- Ā½ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
- ā teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut out 2 pieces of parchment paper the size of your baking pans. Grease the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans with butter. Place the parchment circles in the bottom of the pans and grease the top of the parchment paper, too. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar into the pans.1 tablespoon butter
- Drain the pineapple slices and reserve the juice from one of them. Place the pineapple slices in both of the prepared cake pans. You should be able to get 7 slices per pan. Sprinkle the tops of the pineapple with another 1 tablespoon of sugar.2 14-ounce cans pineapple rounds
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, crushed pineapple, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and dark rum. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once and whisk to combine. Stir in the pecans and finely shredded coconut.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Ā½ teaspoons baking powder, Ā½ teaspoon cinnamon, Ā½ teaspoon sea salt, 2 large eggs, 1 cup canned crushed pineapple, Ā½ cup vegetable oil, Ā½ cup buttermilk, 1 Ā½ tablespoons dark rum, 1 cup chopped pecans, Ā½ cup fine shredded coconut, Ā½ cup granulated sugar
- Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes. Invert them onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely. (See notes.)
- Place the large flaked coconut on a baking tray and, when the cakes come out of the oven, put the coconut in. Toast the coconut for 2-3 minutes then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Watch the coconut VERY carefully as it toasts (or burns!) easily.1 cup large flaked coconut
- While the cakes are cooling, prepare the icing. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar, pineapple juice, and sea salt and beat until combined.Ā½ cup butter, Ā½ cup cream cheese, 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice, ā teaspoon sea salt
- Once the cakes have cooled completely, spread the icing over the top of one of the cakes then place the other cake on top. Ice the sides (but not the top!) of the cakes and then sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the icing.
Amazing looking. My favorite fruit – pineapple…of course fresh, not canned. My favorite desert – pineapple upside down cake. I used to have a hard time finding a good one, since most are made with canned fruit. Freshly cut pineapple wipes out any memory of bad pineapple upside down cakes. And as you can tell, I’m a purist, and would prefer to keep the siding ingredient out of the recipe, although the pina colada flavor profile is delicious. This is a gorgeous looking cake, and looks like a wonderful dessert for a special meal’s conclusion. I really dig your images.
Wow, you’re still getting snow?! Is this normal for ya’ll in May? Anyway, this pineapple upside down cake looks really good. It’s just what I need for summer!
Well yes and no … the city is beautiful and warm. All the trees have blossomed, the flowers are up and it’s t-shirt weather for sure when the sun is shining. But there’s still enough snow in the mountains for a good day of riding. It’s the best of both worlds this time of year š