Magical Pina-Colada Cake

14May

The Gods of Baked Goods must have been a good mood today because there could be no other explanation for my major breakthrough – I baked a cake from scratch (with no standardized recipe) and it came out real well! Those of you that have followed this blog for a while know that I am constantly lamenting over the fact that I can’t bake and that even when I invite people over for elaborate formal dinners, I make lots of food but I always need to go out and buy some dessert or better yet, I ask the guests to bring dessert! Over the past two days I have been obsessing over making a Pina-Colada cake and I even checked on-line for some recipes but all the ones I saw called for a boxed yellow cake mix and I just could not use a pre-mixed recipe and justify it on my blog. So I took a chance and devised my own recipe and VOILA! – it worked!!!

Ingredients

1.    2 and a 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
2.   1 cup sugar
3.   1 large can of pineapple slices (in its own juice)
4.   One can of crushed pineapple (in its own juice)
5.   1 small can of coconut milk (5.6 oz)
6.   1 stick of butter
7.   A pinch of salt
8.   1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
9.   Two eggs (preferably at room temperature)
10.   Two teaspoons of baking powder
11.   Two teaspoons of baking soda
12.   3 tablespoons of sweetened coconut flakes.
13.    2 oz of dark rum
14.    3 oz of pineapple juice (the juice from the canned sliced pineapple works here)
15.   One tablespoon of corn oil for coating the baking pan
16.   A handful of dried or canned cherries

Directions:

1.   Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.   In a large mixing bowl, using a fork mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
3.   Melt the butter by putting it in a microwave for 45-55 seconds (more if needed).

4. Using a whisk, mix the sugar, vanilla essence, melted butter, pineapple juice, rum, coconut milk and the eggs and mix until everything is integrated into a smooth mixture.
5. Using a dry paper towel coat the inside of a spring loaded 10”cake pan with oil.

6.   Lay down the sliced of pineapple on the bottom of the cake pan and also a couple of cherries in the center of each pineapple slice.
7.   Using your hands, squeeze the juice out of the crushed pineapple and mix about 3-4 tablespoons of the pineapple to the wet ingredients of the cake and mix thoroughly.
8.   Mix the dry and the wet ingredients of the cake and continue mixing till all the ingredients make a consistent batter.

9.   Gently pour the batter into the cake (pan over the pineapple slices).
10.   Place the cake pan into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes (until the toothpick comes out dry).
11.   Let the cake cool down on a rack before taking it out of the cake pan.