Coconut Pineapple Upside Down Cake (with frosting!)

Ingrédients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus 2 tablespoons for the cake pans)
• 2 14-ounce cans pineapple rounds (reserve the juice)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup fine shredded coconut
• 1 cup large flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Préparation

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut out 2 pieces of parchment paper the size of your baking pans. Grease the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans with butter. Place the parchment circles in the bottom of the pans and grease the top of the parchment paper, too. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar into the pans.

2. 2

   Prep pans: Drain the pineapple slices and reserve the juice from one of them. Place the pineapple slices in both of the prepared cake pans. You should be able to get 7 slices per pan. Sprinkle the tops of the pineapple with another 1 tablespoon of sugar.

3. 3

   Mix cake: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, crushed pineapple, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and dark rum. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once and whisk to combine. Stir in the pecans and finely shredded coconut.

4. 4

   Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes. Invert them onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely. (See notes.)

5. 5

   Toast: Place the large flaked coconut on a baking tray and, when the cakes come out of the oven, put the coconut in. Toast the coconut for 2-3 minutes then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Watch the coconut VERY carefully as it toasts (or burns!) easily.

6. 6

   Make icing: While the cakes are cooling, prepare the icing. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar, pineapple juice, and sea salt and beat until combined.

7. 7

   Decorate: Once the cakes have cooled completely, spread the icing over the top of one of the cakes then place the other cake on top. Ice the sides (but not the top!) of the cakes and then sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the icing.