This is a big cake, highly recommended for a summer party, or whenever you feel like going to the beach in the winter! Creamy coconut and pineapple layered between fluffy and moist yellow cake stacks!
It has a lot of components but don't be fooled: it's an easy cake to make! The actual cake turns out very elastic so you don't have to be scared if making it in a long rectangular pan, it will not break! It serves about 25 people, depending on the size of the slices you cut.
You can make 1/2 the recipe and bake in 2 X 8"spring form pans or this one recipe and bake in a 9X 13 pan in 2 steps.
Cake
8 eggs (2 egg whites beaten until stiff peakes)
2 + 3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 T natural vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
2T baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup warm milk
1/2 lemon
Filling
100g shredded unsweetened coconut
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cans of milk (use the condensed milk can for measuring)
2T whole milk powder (I use mexican Nestlé NIDO found in any supermarket's hispanic aisle)
2T corn starch
pineapple compote (recipe below)
Pineapple compote
1 large pineapple diced small (use canned diced pineapple if you need more or don't have the fresh fruit)
2-4T sugar (depending on how sweet and ripe the pineapple is)
1/4 cup (water)
8 whole cloves
Frosting
1 pint Heavy Whipping cream
3T whole milk powder or 2 envelopes of Dr. Oetker "Whip it!" (found on Amazon)
3T confectioner's sugar, sifted (or to taste)
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
To drizzle over cake layers
2oz Malibu Black or Spiced rum
liquid from the pineapple compote
water to complete 16 - 18oz
Making the cake:
Pre heat oven to 350F. Spray baking PAM in a 9X13 non-stick pan.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm peaks. Set aside.
In a large mixer bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until a fluffy cream forms, about 8-10 minutes. While mixing that, in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Heat up the milk with the 1/2 lemon squeezed for about 1min in the microwave.
In low speed, incorporate the flour and milk with lemon to the egg cream, adding a third of each at a time, alternating milk and flour mix until all is combined. Don't overmix. Use a wooden spoon for this step if you prefer.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, lightly incorporate the stiff egg whites to the batter.
If you have 3 pans, divide batter into 3 pans and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
If you only have one, like I did, spread 2/3 of the batter in one pan, bake for 30 min or until dry in the middle. Take it off the pan while hot and pour the remaining batter and bake for 15-18 minutes, until dry in the center.
Filling
Whisk all ingredients (except for the compote) in a heavy bottom pan and cook until thickened in medium heat, whisking continuously. Incorporate drained compote.
Pineapple compote
Add the pineapple, sugar, water and cloves to a small sauce pan. Heat up until boiling. Cover pan and let it simmer 10 minutes or until pineapple is cooked but still holds its shape. Remove the cloves and drain compote saving the liquid in a measuring cup.
Assembling the cake
Use the cake pan lined with a lot of saran wrap or Press 'N Seal.
If you baked like me, cut the fist cake in half, horizontally. Use the top of the cake as your bottom layer with the crust facing the pan. Drizzle 1/3 of the liquid over the cake. Add 1/2 coconut and pineapple cream, cover with the other cake layer, crust side down. Drizzle another 1/3 of the liquid and the rest of the coconut cream. Use the remainder of the liquid to drizzle the last layer of the cake you baked, crust side up for leveling when decorating.
Wrap the press 'n seal around it and put in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours before you frost it.
Frosting
In a cold bowl, mix the whipping cream, milk powder, vanilla extract and sugar in high speed until firm peaks form. If you mix too long, you will churn it, so keep an eye out and reduce the speed when you feel like the consistency is changing if you don't have a lot of experience mixing your own whipped cream.
I recommend frosting the cake the day you're serving it but, if you are using the whole milk powder or a whipped cream stabilizer, you can do it up to 48h in advance.
Frost the cake with the whipped cream and cover with coconut. Use a piping bag if you wish.
If served the next day, your cake should be extra moist! YUM!
Enjoy!
