Better than sex cake

Hi, I'm a cake with a ridiculous name, and I don't look very pretty. In fact, I'm really, really ugly and un-photogenic. But I taste awesome. So awesome.

The name. It refers to the combination of pineapple and coconut infused in a vanilla cake. I didn't make it up, apparently this is a legit thing. Go ask Paula Dean. Not really sure if it's bette... yeah. But I will say it's pretty fantastic ;)

For the cake:

1 box of vanilla cake mix, along with whatever ingredients the mix calls for (eggs, oil, water)
20 ounce can of crushed pineapple, with juice separated from pineapple
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes

For the frosting:

12 ounces cream cheese
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter, at room temperature

For the topping:

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes

Preheat the oven according to cake mix directions.

In a large bowl, prepare the mix according to cake mix directions. Add in the drained, crushed pineapple and the shredded coconut. Pour into two greased 9" round cake pans and bake according to cake mix directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Next add the confectioner's sugar in small batches, beating after each addition. You can store the frosting in the fridge until the cake is ready to frost.

When the cake comes out of the oven, let it sit for ~10 minutes, then flip it out of the pan and make small indentations with a fork throughout the cake. Pour 2-3 ounces of the pineapple juice saved from earlier over each cake. Allow to soak for at least 20 minutes before assembling cake.

Place remaining 1 cup of coconut on bakesheet and bake until golden brown, 6-9 minutes. Make sure to stir the coconut half way through. Be very watchful of the coconut-- it takes seconds for toasted to turn to burnt.

Frost the cake in layers, then add the shredded coconut to the top. Et voilà!

Recipe by me

Easy peasy pineapple upside down cake

Kiirsten has never had pineapple cake. Who is Kiirsten? Who is pineapple cake? My awesome friend; my awesome cake. So naturally the two should meet. And today we made it happen. We started out the day by walking around Walden Pond in the cold but beautifully sunny weather. It was a serene and peaceful walk and much enjoyed. However afterwards we were brutally cold. So naaaturally we decided it necessary to bake a warm dessert. I don't know what made us in a tropical fruit mood, but something in us whispered "pineapple caaaake." And then we went to work. It's a surprisingly simple recipe and one that takes little to no technical effort for those baking-challenged. Plus it makes for a beautiful presentation! It was a perfect way to end our day :)


Makes one 9"x13" cake

For the cake:

1 standard cake mix
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 20 oz can sliced pineapples (in pineapple juice)
1 6 oz jar maraschino cherries

eggs and oil as according to package directions

My little ranger in the snow

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar until the sugar is melted and not grainy. Pour into a 9"x13" pan and spread evenly over the bottom (if necessary, place pan with brown sugar mixture into the oven to let mixture melt even more, making it easier to spread around). Place pineapple slices evenly over the brown sugar mixture and DO NOT DRAIN THE PINEAPPLE JUICE-- SAVE IT! Drain cherries, place a cherry inside each pineapple circle and decorate the cake however you'd like with the remaining ones.

Then, prepare cake mix according to package directions, substituting the water for pineapple juice from your can (a 20 oz can contains roughly 8 oz of pure juice). Pour mixture over your prepared brown sugar/pineapple/cherry spread. Bake according to cake package's directions (probably 20-35 minutes).

Immediately after taking the cake out of the oven, flip over onto a serving plate. Yum yum done.