Toasted Coconut Pineapple Cake With White Chocolate Frosting

If there really is such a thing as a match made in culinary heaven, it's got to be pineapple and coconut. Tropical, fruity, and sweet – it's great in boozy drinks like piña colada AND in tasty desserts. The following recipe will turn your cake dreams into a reality by combining delicious pineapple cake with crispy coconut flakes and throwing in some very Instagram-worthy flower decorations on top for good measure. The kicker? The flowers are edible!

You'll Need:

For the cake:

  • 8 eggs
  • 2¼ cups sugar
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp baking powder

For the pineapple filling:

  • 10 oz crushed pineapple
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • ⅔ cup orange juice
  • 1 tbsp corn starch

For the frosting:

  • 3½ sticks butter, softened
  • 2¾ cups powdered sugar
  • ⅔ cup white chocolate chips, melted

For the decoration:

  • 3 cups toasted coconut flakes
  • 8 thin pineapple slices
  • pipette
  • cherry juice

Extra:

  • 9-inch springform pan
  • piping bag & star tip nozzle

Here's How:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the springform pan with parchment paper. Separate the eggs and set the egg yolks aside for now. Add sugar to the egg whites and beat for about 5 minutes until peaks start to form. Then add coconut milk and fold in the flour, baking powder, and egg yolks. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for about 70 minutes. Meanwhile, take 8 thin pineapple slices (about ¼-inch thick) and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Use a pipette filled with cherry juice to create a star pattern on the pineapple slices and then dehydrate them in the oven at 250°F for about 90 minutes. For best results, keep the oven door slightly ajar so that moisture can escape. 

2. Add the brown sugar to a pot and heat until it has caramelized. Mix the corn starch with a splash of orange juice and add the mixture, along with the crushed pineapple and the rest of the orange juice, to the caramelized brown sugar. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then set the pot aside and let cool.

3. For the frosting, beat the softened butter until fluffy and gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Add the melted white chocolate chips, stir until combined, and spoon the finished frosting into a piping bag. Cut off the top of the cooled cake and cut the rest into three equal-sized slices. Pipe the frosting in a 1-inch thick strip along the outer edge of the cake and distribute some of the pineapple mixture inside the frosting strip.

4. Add a second layer of cake on top of the first one and repeat the same process with the frosting and pineapple mixture.

5. Now add the third layer and coat the entire cake with frosting.

Icing A Cake With Buttercream Frosting

6. Spread the toasted coconut flakes around the sides of the cake.

Toasted Coconut Flakes

7. Use a star tip nozzle to form 8 rosettes on top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Place the dehydrated pineapple slices from earlier on top of the rosettes. They look exactly like flowers!

Pineapple Cake With Coconut Frosting

This cake should be sitting next to the classics in every pastry shop! The three layers of sweet pineapple cake are going to take you straight to a tropical island, and it looks utterly gorgeous with those cute, edible flowers!

You can find the nifty Frankfurter Brett chopping board featured in the recipe video here.

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