Under the Blue Gum tree

Can there be a more decadent combination than chocolate and alcohol? Well not if Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog’s We Should Cocoa Challenge is anything to go by. For that is this month’s theme. Well more specifically, a chocolatey dish that is inspired by a cocktail. This is in celebration of the We Should Cocoa Challenge reaching the ripe old age of “2”. Obviously that’s what passes for legal drinking age these days…….

I am rather partial to a cocktail, me. But I must admit I am more of a fruity cocktail kind of a girl than a creamy, chocolatey kind. So initally I struggled a little for inspiration. But then I hit on the idea of a piña colada. Not traditionally chocolatey I admit, but surely its component parts of pineapple, rum and coconut would only be enhanced by a little white chocolate? And thus the idea for a piña colada cake was born.

The base cake is a coconut cake heavily adapted from a Dan Lepard recipe and which contains both coconut milk and desiccated coconut. I then made a pineapple and rum syrup to drizzle over the cake before filling with a white chocolate and pineapple icing and topping with more icing and a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes and dried pineapple.

I must admit I am rather proud of this cake. Not only was it pretty damn tasty but it looked spectacular too. The real find here was the icing which is adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe and is simply melted white chocolate, cream cheese and Greek yoghurt. It tastes gorgeous with the tang of the cheese and yoghurt offsetting the sweetness of the white chocolate perfectly. Best of all, its fabulous texture makes a glamorous icing job a doddle. You can swirl it into peaks with a spatula and it is firm enough that it doesn’t all squidge out the sides when you layer the cakes.

I am also entering this dish into September’s Alphabakes challenge hosted by Ros from “The More Than Occasional Baker” and Caroline from “Caroline Makes” as this month’s nominated letter is “P.”

Piña colada cake

• 1 tin of coconut milk (about 400ml)
• 80g desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 480g caster sugar
• 400g softened butter
• 4 eggs
• 440g plain flour
• 4 tsp of baking powder (I used 2 tsp to adjust for baking at high altitude)
• 1 large tin of crushed pineapple in syrup (about 400g – you will need all of the syrup and half of the pineapple)
• 2 tbsp rum
• 225g white chocolate
• 300g low fat cream cheese
• 300g full fat Greek yoghurt
• toasted coconut flakes and dried pineapple to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease the sides and line the bases of two deep 20cm springform cake tins. Heat the coconut milk till boiling, remove from the heat and stir in the desiccated coconut and vanilla paste. Set aside to soak whilst you make the remainder of the cake.

2. Using an electric whisk, beat the sugar and softened butter in a large bowl till pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Sift the flour and baking powder together then alternately fold in spoonfuls of flour and spoonfuls of coconut mixture into the eggs, butter and sugar. You may not need to add all of the coconut. Stop when the mixture reaches a good dropping consistency (i.e. the mixture should plop easily off a spoon when the spoon is shaken gently.)

3. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and bake for about 45 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool in the tins for 10-15 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Drain the pineapple in a sieve, reserving the syrup. Heat the syrup over a high heat with the rum until reduced to about 4 tbsps. Allow to cool slightly before drizzling over the cakes.

5. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or in a bain marie. Using an electric whisk, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then whisk in the Greek yoghurt followed by the melted chocolate. Divide the mixture in two and add half a tin of drained pineapple to one quantity of the icing. Use this to fill the cake and then spread the plain icing over the top. Decorate with toasted coconut and pieces of dried pineapple if you like.

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