Pina Colada Cake

 I saw a pina colada cake recipe in my new book. I loved the idea (coconut, rum, pineapple) but I didn't like the recipe-sorry author. The cake was a simple sponge, with buttery-sugary cream....aghhh

So I made my own version, because  I also think that in order to call a cake a boozy cake you need more than 2 tbsp alcohol in it. The end result was fab (and incredibly easy to make), one of my favourite cakes I ever made...it is in my top 3.

Pina Colada cake

For the sponge

200 g self-raising flour

210 g butter at room temperature

200 g golden caster sugar

50 g dessicated coconut

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1-3 tbsp milk

For the cream

250 g mascarpone

125 g cream chese

150 g melted white chocolate

40 g dessicated coconut

1-3 tbsp white Rum/Malibu

Filling

1/2 pineapple

3-5 tbsp dark Rum

1 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

Slice the pineapple to small pieces, coat it with the muscovado sugar and rum and place it to the fridge. Leave to absorb the alcohol for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.

Preheat your oven to 180C and prepare a 23 cm round tin with baking paper.Put all the cake ingredients in a  large bowl. Beat them together with an electric mixer until you have a creamy mixture and add milk as needed.

Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 20 -25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Leave to cool completely than cut the cake in half with a cake leveler.

For the cream, put all the cream ingredients in a bowl and mix it with an electric mixer. That's it:)

Put 2/3 of the cream in between the sponge layers and all the pineapple except a handful that you can reserve for the top decoration. Leave it to rough, I love the rustic look of it.

Place the second sponge on top and cover it with the rest of the cream and pineapples.

Keep it in the fridge, but remove it 20 minutes before consuming.