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Piña Colada Cake Recipe

Last Updated On: August 27, 2024 | Published: July 22, 2023 by Melissa Diamond | 130 Comments
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We are SO excited to share this delicious scratch Piña Colada Cake with you! Moist coconut layers are brushed with a rum syrup and filled with pineapple. Just the name itself sounds like a party, doesn't it?

Cocktail-inspired cakes (like our Margarita Cupcakes, Chocolate Kahlua Cake, and other boozy cakes) are so much fun for entertaining. This Pina Colada Cake always gets rave reviews!

Pina Colada Cake, sliced, on a glass pedestal.

Why we Love It

There are so many reasons to love this Piña Colada Cake! Here are just a few reasons why we love it so much:

How to Make a Piña Colada Cake

You can find the full, printable Pina Colada Cake recipe card further down in this post. Here is a quick look at our steps!

  • First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 8×2 inch round pans. (We also like to add circles of parchment to the bottom of the pans.)
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 30 seconds. Set aside
Bowl of dry ingredients with whisk
  • In another bowl, add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Set aside.
Buttermilk Mixture (measuring cup of buttermilk, vegetable oil, and flavoring)
  • In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
Creaming Butter and Sugar with paddle attachment of stand mixer
  • Add the eggs one at a time mixing until the yellow of the yolk is blended.
Adding eggs to cream cheese and butter mixture in mixing bowl.
  • With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of liquid). Mix just until combined.
Cake Batter in mixing bowl with spatula.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs attached. Let cool 10 minutes and turn out.
Three freshly baked cake layers.

For the Rum Syrup

We decided to make a rum simple syrup to brush over the cake layers as we assemble the cake. Unlike our Easy Rum Cake, where rum is poured over the cake, this is just a light coating over the top.

Rum simple syrup in a bowl with silicone pastry brush.

Simple syrups generally have a ratio of equal parts sugar and water (or close to equal). The water and sugar mixture is heated in a saucepan to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, simmer for a minute, and then add the flavoring (in today's case, rum!).

We did not add rum to the cake batter as the flavor tends to bake out. We prefer to add the rum to the cake after baking instead!

For the Pineapple Filling

An essential part of our Pina Colada Cake is the pineapple filling! We have a great no-bake pineapple and cream filling, but today we are going with a wonderful cooked filling.

Bowl of Pineapple Filling with spoon

This is a simple combination of crushed pineapple, granulated sugar, and corn starch to thicken. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card, but the mixture is brought to a boil for 1-2 minutes before removing from heat and allowing to cool.

The pineapple filling will thicken even more as it cools. Make sure to cool completely before assembling the cake.

Coconut Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

We love any excuse to incorporate cream cheese frosting into our cakes! Today's recipe is based on our go-to cream cheese frosting, but with the addition of rum extract and coconut extract.

We used rum extract so that we didn't have to introduce too much liquid to this already soft frosting. Keep in mind that we are also adding rum simple syrup to the coconut cake layers, and so you can skip the rum extract if you need to!

*Cream cheese frostings like this one are on the softer side, you can refrigerate as needed if it becomes too soft while you are decorating the cake!

Assembling the Pina Colada Cake

Now that the cake layers have cooled, and the pineapple filling and rum simple syrup have cooled as well, it is time to assemble the cake.

Place the first coconut cake layer on the cake pedestal. Using a pastry brush, apply the rum simple syrup over the top of the cake.

Brushing Rum Simple Syrup onto Pina Colada Cake layer.

Next, spread with a fairly thin layer of cream cheese frosting.

Spread pina colada cake layer with a layer of coconut rum cream cheese frosting.

We also piped a dam around the edge of the cake. You can do this with a piping bag with the end snipped away (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped away.)

Top with cream cheese frosting layer with a layer of the pineapple filling within the dam.

Amazing Piña Colada Cake Recipe from scratch! Moist and delicious coconut cake layers, pineapple filling, Piña Colada Cream Cheese Frosting, and a hint of rum! YUM!

Top with the next cake layer and repeat the steps (brushing with rum, adding the layer of frosting, topping with pineapple, and finally the third cake layer.)

Three filled and stacked Pina Colada Cake Layers on a cake pedestal, before applying frosting.

Next, we like to apply a thin layer of frosting to the cake (the crumb coat) and chill for 15 minutes in the freezer or longer in the refrigerator to firm everything up. This chilling step makes decorating the cake much easier as the layers are less likely to shift while you work.

Decorating the Pina Colada Cake

Next, frost the chilled cake with the second layer of coconut rum cream cheese frosting, and press sweetened flaked coconut into the frosting, all over the cake.

We topped with swirls of the remaining cream cheese frosting, using a 1M piping tip.

Piping a swirl of frosting onto the coconut-covered Pina Colada Cake.

We topped each rosette swirl with maraschino cherries!

Top view of the Pina Colada Cake, with piped rosettes of cream cheese frosting around the edge, topped with maraschino cherries.
Sliced Pina Colada Cake on a glass pedestal.

More Pineapple Cakes

If you love pineapple cakes, we have many cakes that have pineapple as an ingredient! Aside from our go-to Pineapple Cake , easy Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake, and delicious Pineapple Dream Cake, keep these other favorites in mind!

FAQs

The main flavors that you will notice with this delicious recipe are coconut and pineapple. You will also notice a hint of rum from the rum syrup. This cake consists of coconut layers, brushed with rum syrup, and filled with crushed pineapple.

No, alcohol may bake out slightly when used in cake batter- but not completely. (For instance, our Pink Chamapagne Cake calls for champagne in the cake batter.)

In the case of today's Pina Colada Cake recipe, we did not use the rum in the cake batter--it is brushed onto the baked layers after. So, while there is not of rum per slice of cake, the alcohol is still present.

Yes, because of the cream cheese frosting and pineapple filling, this is a cake that needs to be refrigerated. It is best to store in an airtight container.

For best flavor and texture, remove the cake from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving. This will allow the cake to warm and soften as it approaches room temperature.

Yes, as with the majority of our cakes, the coconut layers for the Pina Colada Cake can be baked in advance, tightly wrapped, and frozen for up to three months!

However, the general rule of thumb is not to freeze cakes that have been brushed with simple syrup. Instead, save this step for when it is time to assemble the cake.

To freeze the freshly baked cake layers, allow them to cool. (We often wrap while still a bit warm.) Wrap each individual cake layer tightly with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil.

For more support, you can place each layer on a foil-wrapped cake board. (If you only plan to freeze the layers for a few days, double wrapping in plastic wrap is protection enough.)

To thaw, bring the wrapped coconut cake layers to the kitchen counter, still wrapped. Allow to sit for 30-45 minutes before unwrapping and thawing to desired amount for assembling the cake. (Some bakers like to assemble their cakes while they are partially frozen as they are less fragile.)

This recipe was updated in July, 2023 to update to our preferred recipe for coconut cake layers. I'm linking to the older recipe in the notes section of the recipe card.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't miss our collection of favorite cake recipes from scratch as well as our cake mix recipes! You can find hundreds of our cake recipes in our Cake Recipes section!

Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!

Sliced Pina Colada Cake on a glass pedestal.

Pina Colada Cake

BY Melissa and Bebe
This moist and flavorful Piña Colada Cake is an amazing blend of pineapple, coconut, and a hint of rum. Coconut cake layers are brushed with rum syrup, filled with pineapple and flavorful cream cheese frosting!
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 15 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter (holds it shape but dents when pressed)
  • 2 cups (400g) sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 3 cups (342g) cake flour (spooned into measuring cup and leveled off) If you do not have cake flour see substitution in Notes below.
  • 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
  • 1 ¼ cups (296g) buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk, see substitution below)
  • ¼ cup (54g) vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoon (6g) coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract

For the Rum Syrup

  • ⅓ cup water
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup rum (we used white rum) See Notes

For the Pineapple Filling

  • One 20 ounce can 567g of crushed pineapple
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (14g)

For the Coconut Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 sticks 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • 16 oz (452g) cream cheese , softened This is equal to two (8 oz) packages of cream cheese. Use full fat.
  • 1 ½ teaspoon (6g) coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon (4g) rum extract
  • 6 to 6 ½ cups (747g) powdered sugar

Coconut for the Outside of the Cake

  • 1 bag (14 oz) Sweetened Coconut
  • Maraschino Cherries (ours was with stems) Optional for decoration on top

Instructions

For the Cake Layers

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 8×2 inch round pans.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 30 seconds. Set aside
  • In another bowl, add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Set aside..
  • In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs one at a time mixing until the yellow of the yolk is blended.
  • With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of liquid). After the last addition, mix just until ingredients are incorporated.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs attached. Let cool 10 minutes and turn out.

For the Rum Syrup

  • Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir, heating until the mixture comes to a boil. Simmer for one minute and remove from heat. Stir in the rum and allow to cool. *You will not use all of the rum syrup. Adjust rum amount to your liking- you may like for it to be a bit stronger.

For the Pineapple Filling

  • Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat.
  • When the mixture begins to boil, stir constantly until it begins to thicken, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Keep in mind that it will thicken even more as it cools.
  • Cool completely in refrigerator before using.

For the Coconut Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Add the softened butter to the mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
  • Add the softened cream cheese that has been cut into small to medium size pieces, beating with the butter until well blended and smooth.
  • Add the rum and coconut extracts.
  • Slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
  • Use the frosting while it is still chilled. If it becomes too soft, refrigerate until it firms up a bit or put in the freezer for 5 minutes or so to return to a good piping consistency.

Assembling the Cake

  • Place a cake layer on a cake board or serving stand. Brush with rum syrup using a pastry brush. You will not use all of the rum syrup on this cake. We used approximately 2-3 Tablespoons per layer.
  • Next, spread the top with a thin layer of frosting. Pipe a dam of frosting around the edge of the cake layer (approx. ½ inch in). Spread a layer of pineapple filling over the thin layer of frosting within the dam.
  • Repeat with the next layer, brushing with rum syrup, adding frosting and pineapple filling, and top with third layer.
  • Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting. We like to chill to firm everything up at this point. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes or chill for longer in the refrigerator.
  • Then, spread cake with final layer of frosting. Press in the coconut on the sides and top of the cake.
  • Optional: Using a 2D tip, decorate the top with swirls of the remaining cream cheese frosting and top with maraschino cherries (optional).

Serving Instructions

  • This cake needs to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese frosting and pineapple filling. Store in an airtight container. For best flavor and texture, remove from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving to allow the cake to warm and soften.

Notes

Rum Syrup: Simple syrups generally consist of equal parts sugar and water (which are heated to dissolve the sugar and slightly thicken), and then flavoring is added at the end. In this case, rum. For a stronger rum flavor, simply use more rum! Try it before brushing the syrup onto your cake layers and decide if you'd like a stronger flavor.
Substitute for Buttermilk: No Buttermilk? Here is a substitution: To a measuring cup, add 1 Tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice. Add milk to the 1 ¼ mark, stir. Wait 5 minutes and it is ready to use.
Substitution for Cake Flour: Using all purpose flour (plain in UK) to make Cake Flour: For each cup of flour in a recipe, remove 2 Tablespoons of flour and replace with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK). This recipe has 3 cups of flour so you will measure out 3 cups of all purpose flour, remove 6 Tablespoons and replace with 6 Tablespoons cornstarch, whisk to blend
*We updated this recipe in July 2023 to change to our preferred recipe for coconut cake layers. If you are searching for the older version of this recipe, you can find it here- Pina Colada Cake- Previous Version.
5 from 12 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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130 Comments

  1. Hi Sara, We have not used cream cheese frosting under fondant. There are various thoughts online if you do a google search. Some say it is fine it you refrigerate and others report they have a problem even when refrigerating. You could use cream cheese frosting as a filling and buttercream under the fondant.

    Robin, Thank you for your post.

    Reply

  2. BeBe and Robin thank you so much for your answer. I think it will be perfect if I use cream cheese frosting with coconut as a filling and buttercream under the fondant. Thanks again and I’ll send you a picture of the wedding cake in May. Sara

    Reply

  5. Hi Anne, You should be able to half the recipe with no problem. To make 1/2 a recipe that has 3 eggs, you can use 1 whole egg plus 1 yolk or you can use 1 whole egg then whisk a second egg in a measuring cup and use 1/2 of it. Below is a link to a chart of 1/2 and double measurements.

    http://thisfoodthing.com/index.php/2008/10/09/scale-half-and-double-quantity-amounts-in-a-recipe-chart/

    The bake time may be slightly more than half the time given for the whole recipe, just keep an eye on it.

    Reply

  8. Hi, all of my recipes usually call for alternating wet and dry ingredients, ending with dry, so that the cake isn’t tough. Does following your recipe ( adding wet to dry) change the texture of the cake ? Thanks

    Reply

  9. Hi Sinclair. The alternating of wet and dry is used in the conventional mixing method. This recipe is written using the Reverse Creaming Method. Melissa has a video link to that method in her post above the ingredient list. However, that video tutorial is not working, just realized there was a problem. If you have never used Reverse Creaming, it is helpful to watch the video. The recipe can also be used with the conventional mixing method. I posted those instructions in the above comment section on April 19, 2018 (entry #57). Let me know if you have other questions.

    Reply

  11. Hi Sam, I think you will lose some of the flavor that coconut milk adds. Using buttermilk, instead of 1 Tablespoon baking powder use 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon (3g) baking soda. I am just not sure about the coconut extract. I would increase to 2 teaspoons, it may need 3 teaspoons. Since I have not tested this I can't be sure. Hope all goes well.

    Reply