Pina Colada Cake

Back in my OCD recipe contest entering days, I uploaded tons of recipes to the Taste of Home website.  I mean, seriously, I would spend entire weekends just creating and uploading recipes.  It did pay off and I did win some mooloah for one recipe (Bruschetta Pizza). Since then, no money has been received in my mailbox, but every once in a while, I will get a random TOH publication.  It might be their latest holiday cookbook or one of their periodicals.  There usually isn’t a letter accompanying these packages, just the book or magazine, which leads me to search through to find my recipe.I vaguely remembered getting a copy of Taste of Home in the mail that I threw in the pile by the couch when a co-worker said, “Wow, I really was impressed with the recipe you had in Taste of Home.”

I stared at her blankly.

“Yeah, it sounded like a really festive cake,” she responded to my clueless look.  I promptly went home to look.  Low and behold, I found a Pina Colada Cake that I had entered many moons ago.

Pina Colada Cake
published in December 2015 Taste of Home magazine

1 pkg. white cake mix (regular size)
1 pkg. (3.4 ounces) instant coconut cream pudding mix
1 c. canola oil
3/4 c. water
2 large eggs
1/4 c. rum
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)

GLAZE:
2 c. confectioners’ sugar, divided
2 T. unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c. cream of coconut
1 T. rum
1/4 c. flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, water, eggs and rum; beat on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Stir in pineapple. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and pineapple juice; brush over warm cake. Cool cake completely.

In another bowl, mix cream of coconut, rum and remaining confectioners’ sugar; drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with coconut.

Yield: 12 servings.

Use whatever rum you like.  I used a bit of coconut rum the last time I made this.  You can also forego the first glaze and just make the frosting.  I like the extra bit of rum, though!

It was delicious and I am glad I revisited it.  I made it for the hospitality room for our annual basketball tournament in January.

I had another recipe appear in their annual Christmas book that I will have to revisit as well because I truly don’t ever remember making it.   (Sometimes I just created recipes in my head to enter.  This actually might have been one.  It was a chicken dish that I will whip up and feature here soon.)

For all my OCD recipes, click here.