Coconut, rum, white chocolate and pineapple poke cake
Use a 9x13 cake pan
Last week I worked with Karen and Cathy. Naturally I started fantasising about food. Now when Karen is around, I always think Coconut. Karen loves coconuts, and I do too. I also love moist and rich cakes. In my head I started to build my dream coconut poke cake and shared my fantasy with my friends. Cathy immediately came up with a name for the cake - Tropical island fantasy.
2 days later, the fantasy became a reality in my kitchen and was shared during a weekend barbeque dinner we had at our dear neighbors Ruvim and Maryana. The dinner was to celebrate the beginning of summer and friendship: two things I'm always happy to celebrate.
The cake was a hit. Everybody loved it, and even went for seconds.
It is so,so good. You have to try it.
Ingredients
For the cake
2 cups flour.
¾ cup fine shredded coconut.
3 teaspoons baking powder.
½ teaspoon salt.
¾ cup oil.
1 ½ cups sugar.
4 eggs.
1 ¼ cups milk.
2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
For the sauce
I can coconut cream (not milk).
250 gr white chocolate.
For the pineapples layer
About 1kg/ 2lbgr fresh pineapple, diced.
2-4 tablespoons butter.
2 tablespoons sugar.
¼ cup spiced rum.
For the whipped cream layer
500cc heavy cream,
6 tablespoons powdered sugar.
For garnish
1 cup toasted coconut flakes.
Instructions
Make the cake
Preheat your oven to 350°f/180°c.
Spray your cake pan with oil.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until fluffy and light in color.
Add the vanilla, oil and milk and whisk.
Sift in the flour, salt and baking powder and mix. Don't over do it.
Fold in coconut.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30-40 min until golden and toothpick comes out dry.
Poke the cake all over and pour the sauce on top of it.
Make the sauce
When the cake is in the oven, make the sauce.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until melts.
Pour over the hot cake.
Make the pineapple layer
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a big pan. Add more later, if needed.
Add the diced pineapples to the pan and stir occasionally over medium to high heat.
Cook for 15-20min, adding more butter if needed, until the pineapples get beautiful golden color.
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add rum and flambe the pineapples, carefully shaking the content of the pan until the flames subside.
Stir well and remove from the heat.
Spread evenly all over the cake.
Cool completely.
Make the whipped cream
In the mixer bowl place the cream and the sugar and whip until you get medium peaks.
Spread evenly over the cooled cake.
Garnish with toasted coconut.
Enjoy!