A simple decorated Easter cake with soft pineapple coconut cake layers filled with an easy pineapple custard and decorated with a smooth coconut cream cheese frosting.
Easy Easter Dessert - soft and delicious pineapple coconut cake!
Make it simple: Toasted coconut decoration
Instead of the buttercream decoration showed here you can simply decorate the cake with the cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut flakes. I recommend to use a fat free pan and toast unsweetened coconut flakes until golden brown for about 3 minutes.
Keep stirring the coconut to avoid burning.
The amount of cream cheese frosting should be enough to cover the cake but if you would like to decorate the top of the cake with swirls I would recommend to make 1.5 times the recipe.
Read here on how to troubleshoot grainy frosting
These are the cake pans and my KitchenAid hand mixer that I always use in my recipe videos
A 8 inch cake pan is the traditional choice to make most cake recipes. It creates tall cake layers without making a huge cake! This 6 speed KitchenAid hand mixer is the only one with flex edge beaters for a 2 times faster mixing and to protect your mixing bowl from scratches!
Coconut Pineapple Cake
Ingredients for 3 8-inch cake layers
Pineapple Coconut cake:
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
2 1/4 cups (295 g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk
1 cup (240 g) crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup coconut flakes
coconut frosting:
1 cup (225 g) butter, soft
8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
3 cups (600 g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut extract
Pineapple filling:
3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1/4 cup whole milk, cold
1/2 package (50 g) vanilla instant pudding mix
Swiss meringue buttercream:
9 large egg whites
2 1/4 cups (450 g) sugar
1 1/2 cups (340 g) butter, softened
3 tsp vanilla extract
For the drip:
1/4 cup (75 ml) heavy cream
3 oz (100 g) dark chocolate
chocolate Easter eggs
Check out my full video tutorial with tons of helpful tips!
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Start off with a medium sized bowl. Sift in flour, baking soda and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, sour cream, and oil. Mix for about 4 minutes. The mixture should be very fluffy and lighter in color. Add eggs, vanilla, coconut extract and coconut milk. Mix it until fluffy. Add pineapple, coconut and the flour mixture. Mix the batter until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
Step 2:
Divide the batter evenly among 3 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 3: If you are only making cream cheese frosting skip step 3 and 4
For the Swiss meringue buttercream whisk egg whites and sugar in a fat-free heatproof bowl and place it on a pot with simmering water (bain-marie). Whisk it continually until soft peaks form for about 10 minutes. The mixture is warm enough when the sugar has fully dissolved.
Step 4:
Take the meringue out of the water bath and whisk it with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Mix in the butter in small pieces. Keep mixing it until it comes together in a smooth buttercream. Add the vanilla and mix it in. Separate buttercream into medium sized bowls and color it with blue, pink and yellow food coloring. Mix it until smooth.
Step 5:
To make the coconut frosting use a large mixing bowl add the softened cream cheese. Mix it until smooth for about 4 minutes. Add butter, vanilla and coconut extract and mix it until everything comes together with a smooth consistency. Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar. Mix it on low until it is completely incorporated.
Step 6:
Cut each cake layer one time horizontally to get 4 cake layers. To decorate the cake place the bottom layer on a plate and spread a thin layer of raspberry frosting on top and smooth it out. Pipe a boarder around it and fill it with 1/3 of the pineapple filling. Add the second cake layer and repeat the step. Cover the cake with frosting on the top and its sides. Smooth it out and let it cool in the fridge for about 40 minutes or place it in the freezer for 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 7:
When the cake is cooled add the colored buttercream with a piping bag. Pipe the buttercream around the cake 1/3 of the height of the cake. Smooth it and fill any gaps. When the cake is smooth place it in the fridge for about 40 minutes.
Step 8:
While the cake is cooling make the chocolate ganache. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer and pour the hot cream over the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then whisk it until it comes together. It should have a smooth consistency but not be too runny. Let the ganache cool to almost room temperature while the cake is cooling in the fridge. I like to fill the ganache in a piping bottle but you can also use a small spoon to add the drip. Decorate the cake and place it in the fridge for 5 minutes to let the drip set.
Step 9:
Fill a piping bag with the colored buttercream. You can either pipe thick lines of buttercream on a cling wrap sheet and wrap it tight or pipe each color directly into the prepared piping bag piping each color next to each other. Decorate the cake with piping small swirls on top of the cake. Place a chocolate egg on to each swirl. Fill up the middle of the surface of the cake with crushed chocolate eggs.
Enjoy!
**Pro Tips**
If you do not want to have large coconut flakes in your cake mix the coconut in a food processor for a few seconds before adding it to the cake.
This cake is very soft. For an easier assembly freeze the cake layers for about 30 minutes.
Instead of making an extra buttercream decoration just decorate the cake with toasted coconut flakes.
