Pina Colada Cake

If you like Pina Coladas, getting caught in the rain...

There, now that the obligatory singing is out of the way, this is a Caker recipe if I've ever seen one. I stumbled across the Caker Cooking blog months ago and it's like a warm hug from a squishy grandma.  Although this recipe is not from that blog, it would fit right in.  From the Caker Cooking FAQs...

What’s a “caker?”

In short, an Anglo-Saxon who cooks with Cheez Whiz, Cream of Mushroom soup and Cool Whip. The word “caker” is a short form of “mangicake,” a term coined by Italians.

This cake was inspired by a number of recipes I've found on the internet.  I was looking for a rummy, coconutty cake for hubby's birthday and came up with this... while I wish it was 'rummier' (next time it's getting a rum bath), it made a delicious, moist mellow flavoured cake that everyone loved.  If you are adverse to using processed foods, stop reading now... it's about to get caker up in here.

Pina Colada Cake
Adapted from Betty Crocker & Kraft Canada

For the cake
1 box yellow cake mix
8oz crushed pineapple, undrained
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Malibu (coconut) Rum
3 eggs

For the 'frosting'
1 1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp Malibu Rum
1 box Vanilla instant pudding
1 package Dream Whip (or dry dessert topping mix of your choice)

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut for topping (I toasted (aka burnt) half of it
Whipped Cream (in a can of course) and maraschino cherries for garnish.

For the cake, combine all of the cake ingredients together and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.  Pour into a greased 9x13" pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes, or whatever it says on the box.

For the 'frosting' mix together the frosting ingredients and beat on high speed for about 6 minutes. You can make this ahead and just store it covered in the fridge until you are ready to frost the cake.

Frost the cake and garnish as desired.

PS... if you are wanting a rummier cake like I was I would make a rum/sugar/water simple syrup and do'er up like a poke cake when the cake came out of the oven...

Enjoy!