All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [44]
HAWAIIAN WEDDING CAKE
REQUESTS CAME IN TO MY NEWSLETTER for a recipe for a cake like this one. It wasn’t a cake with which I was familiar, but it seemed faintly similar to others I had baked. So I baked one version, found it a bit boring, then livened it up with a filling. Adding my lightened version of cream cheese frosting gave the final touch to this cake and its exotic flavors—macadamia nuts, coconut, pineapple, and orange. Often cakes with nuts can be dry but this one has pineapple juice in the batter, and the filling soaks into the cake layers, keeping them moist. The frosting benefits from just a tablespoon of orange juice, which mirrors the orange in the filling and pulls this recipe together. I am not sure that this is an official wedding cake in Hawaii; it’s possibly just a glamorous combination of some of the native flavors. Bake it for celebrations, Easter lunch, bridal showers, or as a groom’s cake.
serves:
12 to 16
prep:
45 minutes
bake:
30 to 35 minutes
cool:
25 minutes
For the filling
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup orange juice
¾ cup granulated sugar
For the cake
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pans
Flour, for dusting the pans
1 package (18.25 ounces) yellow, vanilla, or white cake mix with pudding added, or 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow, vanilla, or white cake mix plus 1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
½ cup finely chopped macadamia nuts (from a 2.25-ounce package)
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut, finely chopped
For the cream cheese frosting and garnish
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3½ to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 cup fresh pineapple or peach slices, or 2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts (optional), for garnish
1. Make the filling: Drain the pineapple and set the juice aside for the cake. Place the pineapple, 1 cup of orange juice, and the granulated sugar in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a simmer, then continue to cook it, stirring, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool completely.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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Want a Three-Layer Cake?
To turn the Hawaiian Wedding Cake into a three-layer cake, pour the batter into three 9-inch pans and bake them for about 20 minutes. Double the recipe for the filling, so that you have enough to spread between the three layers. The amount of frosting remains the same.
2. Make the cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist two 9-inch pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust them with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pans aside.
3. Measure the reserved pineapple juice; there should be about 1/3 cup. Add enough water to this juice to make 11/3 cups of liquid. Place the liquid in a large bowl along with the cake mix, oil, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and the eggs and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl