Name: Pina Colada cake recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: Serves: 10
Cuisine: British, Baking
Ingredients: 175g caster sugar; 175g self-raising flour; 175g softened butter; 3 eggs; 3/4 tsp baking power; 1tsp pineapple juice

By Jessica Ransom

last updated 21 July 2023

in Recipes

This Pina colada cake is the perfect adult birthday cake but could be served at any celebration.

Cocktail lovers with a sweet tooth will love this Pina colada cake. It is easy to bake and cooks in around 40 minutes. The cake looks impressive and can be decorated as simply or elaborately as you like. Each slice is under 350 calories and you can swap the rum for more pineapple and lime juice if making for children to enjoy too.

Ingredients

175g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
175g softened butter
3 eggs
3/4 tsp baking power
1tsp pineapple juice

For the drizzle:

50ml pineapple juice
3tsp coconut rum
Squeeze of lime juice

For the decoration:

65ml coconut cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
2 slices fresh pineapple, quartered
2 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted
zest of 1 lime

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Method

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Grease and line a loaf tin with a strip of baking paper. This will make it easier to lift the cake out.
In a large bowl add the sugar, flour, butter, eggs, baking powder and 1tsp pineapple juice. Beat together with an electric whisk until smooth.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes. The cake is cooked when risen, golden and shrinking from the sides.
Meanwhile, combine the pineapple juice, rum and lime juice and bring it to the boil in a medium pan until slightly thickened. Pour over the hot cake when it's still in the tin and allow to soak in. Allow to cool then remove from the tin.
In a small bowl, mix together the coconut cream and sugar. Drizzle over the cake and decorate with the fresh pineapple, dedicated coconut and lime zest if liked.

Top tips for making Pina Colada cake

Ever sung along to Rupert Holmes’ ‘if you like pina coladas’ and wondered if you do actually like the cocktail? We explain exactly what flavour the classic tipple is below to help you decide if it’s the beverage, and more importantly, if this is the cake for you. We also have tips on ingredient substitutions if you can’t find some of the items in your local shop.

What is the flavour of Pina colada?

Coconut and pineapple are the most dominant flavours but there is also some warmth from the rum and a little zingy sourness from the lime. If your pineapple isn’t very ripe you may want to sprinkle over some sugar to sweeten it a little.

Does Pina colada have Malibu rum?

Malibu is a brand of coconut rum that some recipes use but you can use any white rum. You could also use a spiced rum for a slightly different flavour variation. To ensure you still get the coconut flavour you can use coconut milk when making a cocktail. For this cake recipe you can use any type of rum you like or have at home.

Can I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?

This recipe uses coconut cream for the icing but you could swap for coconut milk if you prefer. You won’t need as much and the consistency will be a little runnier but it will still taste great. You could also use toasted coconut flakes instead of the desiccated coconut and dried pineapple or canned pineapple instead of fresh if you prefer.

You could prepare the cake batter for this Pina Colada cake from anywhere in your house when using a cordless power hand mixer. So whether you’re keeping an eye on the dog in the garden or supervising your children choosing their favourite film to switch on, you can continue preparing this delicious cake.

Cuisinart Cordless Power Hand Mixer - View at Amazon

When fully charged this cordless hand mixer will work continuously for 20 minutes. It will take half that time to combine the ingredients for this cake and you’ll be left with charge for your next bake too. By ditching the cord you say goodbye to dragging a cord through your cake batter or being restricted as to where you can do your cake prep because you need to be by a plug. This mixer has five power settings, with one being the slowest and five being the fastest.

If you love these flavours then you must try our adorable Pina Colada cupcakes. Alternatively, for something more sophisticated our Pina Colada panna cotta make the perfect dinner party dessert. For those feeling a little less adventurous, we recommend you bake a classic lemon drizzle cake.

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.