Gluten Free: Pina Colada Cake

We’re not ashamed to admit that we love Piña Coladas here at Sluttery HQ. They might be a bit passé, and you’d struggle to find one on a cocktail menu these days, but we don’t care. It’s not’s a subtle cocktail; rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream, served in a glass garnished with more pineapple and a glace cherry. It screams, “look at me! It’s summer!” and it doesn’t care who notices. No wonder we love them. 

This cake is the Piña Colada of cakes. It’s a little gaudy, definitely a centrepiece kind of a cake and it’s packed full of sunshine. If you’d rather eschew the four-storey show-off cake for two more modest sandwich affairs, feel free. The recipe works for either. In my experience, having cake to give away makes you very popular indeed. More so if said cake includes booze.

Piña Colada Cake (makes 1 large or 2 smaller cakes)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Decorating time: 30 minutes

You’ll need:
For the cake:

• 425g tin of pineapple rings in juice
• 250ml coconut cream
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp rum
• 1 tsp salt
• 300g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 410g gluten free self raising flour mix
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:

• 200ml coconut cream
• 200g icing sugar
• 500ml double cream
• rum, lots. (about 4 tbsp if you’re counting)
• 6ish glace cherries, halved

Make it!
The cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 165°C/325°F/gas mark 3, then grease and line four 20cm sandwich tins.
2. Remove 3 rings from the tin of pineapple (to garnish) then blend the rest, including juice.
3. Measure 250ml of the pineapple puree and put in a bowl. 
4. Add the coconut cream, oil, rum, salt and sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves.
5. Add the eggs and a few spoonfuls of flour mix and combine.
6. Add the rest of the gluten free flour mix and the bicarbonate of soda and mix until you have a smooth batter.
7. Divide the mixture between the four sandwich tins (I use a ladle, because I’m no good at judging by eye).
8. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. You can do this in two batches if you don’t have room in your oven for all four at once.
9. Leave to cool completely on a rack before decorating.

The icing:

1. Whisk the coconut cream and icing sugar together until smooth.
2. Whisk the cream until it reaches the stiff peaks stage.
3. Add a third of the coconut cream mixture to the cream and fold in. Repeat with the rest.
4. Add the rum and fold that in, too.

To decorate:

1. Put about a fifth of the mixture into a piping bag with an open star nozzle and set aside.
2. Place one cake layer on a plate or cake board and spread about a fifth of the cream mix over the top.
3. Place the next cake on top and repeat until you have a tower of cake and cream. 
4. Pipe about 12 stars around the edge of the top of the cake.
5. Top each star with half a glace cherry.
6. Quarter the pineapple rings and place a piece between each cherry.
7. Keep chilled. Cakes will go stale more quickly in the fridge so make sure you eat the lot within a couple of days!