Pineapple Coconut Strawberry Cake

This is a fun twist on a traditional coconut cake recipe. In addition to the sweet coconut that is everyone's favorite, it's also got a yummy pineapple filling and it's topped with juicy, ripe strawberries! Who can beat that?

This would be the perfect cake to bring to your next family get-together.

Pineapple Coconut Strawberry Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
2 eggs

Pineapple Filling

8 oz can crushed pineapple
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp regular milk
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Decorations

Additional shredded sweetened coconut for decorating cake, if desired
Fresh strawberries for decorating cake

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2, 9" cake pans. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. 
4. Add eggs and beat for an additional 3 minutes.
5. Divide batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Then, loosen the sides of the cakes from the pans and turn out onto cooling racks for another 10 minutes.

Pineapple Filling

1. Add ingredients for the pineapple filling to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir well to combine.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and looks glossy, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Pour filling into a storage container. Place a piece of plastic wrap gently over the top and allow it to cool.
4. Once cooled, cover it with an airtight lid and refrigerate until you're ready to use it (up to 1 week).

Frosting

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of regular milk. Mix until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add a little more milk, to thin, or powdered sugar to stiffen, if needed, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
4. Stir in coconut flakes.

Cake Assembly and Decoration

1. Place your first cake layer on a cake plate. Spread the pineapple filling over it, making sure not to spread it all the way to the edges. 
2. Top with the second cake layer.
3. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle the top with extra coconut and press it into the sides, if desired.
4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. 
5. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh strawberries before serving.

Notes

This cake only has one extra step of making a filling to go between the layers. (Most cakes just have the cake and the frosting.) But if that looks daunting to you and you want to simplify the recipe even further, there's nothing stopping you from using a yellow cake mix as the base of this cake.

This is an easy cake to make in advance and then decorate the next day. After your cake has cooled completely, place the layers in Ziploc bags and store them in the refrigerator (or even in the freezer for up to one month). Guess what? Frozen cakes are easy to frost!

You can place the pineapple filling and frosting in separate containers in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them. Remove the coconut frosting from the refrigerator about an hour before you’re going to frost your cake to allow it to come to room temperature.

You might be tempted to place the strawberries on the cake right after you frost it and just before you put it in the refrigerator to rest. However, they might bleed strawberry juice onto your pretty white frosting. This step is best left to do right before serving your cake.

Store this cake in the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. It tastes better after it's been in the refrigerator.