Piña Colada Layer Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Course: Sweets

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Keyword: cake, piña colada

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 30

chill time: 3

Total Time: 1 15

Servings:

Calories: 1795kcal

Begin the components for this delicious dessert up to a week in advance.

Transfer the drained pineapple juice to a measuring cup and add enough rum to measure 1 1/4 cup of total liquid.
Combine a tablespoon of this liquid and the cornstarch together and whisk until smooth.
Pour the rest of the pineapple-rum liquid into a saucier and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Reduce the heat slightly and pour the slurry into the pot in a slow trickle, whisking constantly.
Be sure to whisk the entire time you're streaming in the slurry or it will form into white, gelatinous clumps. If clumps form, strain the mixture after it thickens.
While continuously whisking, allow the liquid to come to a boil and thicken.
Once the pineapple juice has become thick and bubbles like lava, remove the pot from the heat and fold in the crushed pineapple.
Allow the pineapple-rum filling to cool completely. Once cool, transfer the filling to a storage container and refrigerate, or use as instructed.

In a large mixing bowl, or in a stand mixer: cream the butter, shortening, and salt together, on low speed, until smooth. Be sure to scrape the bowl down once while mixing.
Once the butter and shortening are smooth, begin adding the sugar to the bowl, one cup at a time.
Increase the speed to medium-high after all of the sugar has been added and whip for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl twice during mixing.
Add the vanilla or coconut extract and lemon juice to the bowl and continue to whip the icing for 3 or 4 more minutes, once again, scraping occasionally to ensure a well-mixed buttercream.
If the icing is too thick to spread smoothly, add a tablespoon of milk to thin it slightly.
The icing should be fluffy and smooth when finished.
Transfer the buttercream to a storage container and store in the fridge for up to a week or use it right away. If you refrigerate it, bring it to room temperature and blend until soft before using.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Next, cut two 10" circles of parchment paper that you will use to line the cake pans. Spray the cake pans with non-stick baking spray and place the parchment circles into the greased pans. Set the pans aside while you prepare the cake batter.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and kosher salt three times into a large mixing bowl.
Add the emulsified shortening to the dry ingredients and blend the mixture on low speed for 4 minutes, or until the mixture looks sandy. Scrape down the bowl once during the mixing time.
Add the granulated sugar and half of the coconut milk to the bowl. Blend on low speed for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times.
Add the vanilla bean paste (or either extract), remaining coconut milk, and the lightly beaten egg whites to the bowl and blend on low for another 5 minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally while mixing.
The batter should be pourable when done.
Divide the batter in half between the two prepared cake pans and tap the pans against the countertop to encourage any air bubbles to surface and pop.
Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
Place the cake pans on a cooling rack and allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 5 minutes.
Remove them from their pans and cool completely on the cooling racks. Wrap the cooled cakes in plastic wrap until ready to fill and decorate.

Cut each cake into 1/2 inch thick layers (horizontally) using a serrated knife. After removing the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake, place one of the layers onto a 10" cardboard cake circle (or directly onto a cake plate).
Fill a piping bag with the vanilla icing and pipe a 1/2" thick border of icing on the top edge of the cake layer.
Use a small offset spatula to spread half a cup of the pineapple-rum filling into the center of the buttercream border. Place the next layer of cake onto the filling and repeat the process until your cake is filled and stacked with all four layers.
Use a small offset spatula to spread a very thin layer of the vanilla buttercream onto the sides and top of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake for 1-2 hours, or until the icing is firm.
Once the icing is firm, cover the exterior of the cake in a thicker layer of buttercream. Smooth the icing and use the spatula to create a decorative pattern on the cake's surface if desired.
Garnish the sides of the iced cake with the unsweetened shredded coconut while the icing is still soft.
Fit your piping bag with a 1M tip and fill it with the remaining buttercream.
Pipe vanilla buttercream rosettes around the outer edge of the cake.Top each rosette with a dried pineapple rose or pieces of dried pineapples. Sprinkle toasted coconut flakes on top of the cake, if you'd like.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*if you're not using the dark rum, replace it with more pineapple juice and add 1 tablespoon of rum extract instead

This cake is best enjoyed within 3 days of baking. It's safe if held at room temperature, but I recommend storing it in the fridge.

Once cut, press a piece of parchment paper (or wax paper) against any exposed cake to keep it from going stale.