I love the delicious tropical pineapple + coconut combination that creates the famous pina colada flavor. And that’s coming from a hardcore chocolate-lover, so you know that says something.
Recipe Behind The Scenes
The idea of making this cake was not so much about baking, but of finding a way of not throwing out my pineapple peel. In the past, I had come across a few recipes that use the peel of this majestic fruit. But if I am being honest, it just never sounded that appealing. I mean what are the chances of pineapple peels tasting good?
Over the weekend, while shopping for my plastic-free produce options, I decided to get a pineapple as my fruit for the week. I bought the entire pineapple – crown and all, and was determined to throw out as little as possible.
After peeling and chopping my pineapple this is what was left behind. 1. The crown (that sadly did go to the trash), 2. the hard core center (that became a delicious pineapple and mint juice), 3. the peel (huuuum, decisions decisions – time to experiment!).
A quick google search later and I found my recipe inspo candidate. From a pineapple cake recipe I decided to tweak and create a pina colada cake. Because who doesn’t love Pina Coladas…and getting caught in the rain ;).
The first step – and the entire reason why I made this cake – is to make an infused pineapple water using the peel. Surprisingly, this was a pretty simple step in the process. It’s mainly boil the peel in water, blend, and strain. The liquid you get left behind is like a pineapple tea of sorts that will be added to the cake dough for flavor and incredible moistness (P.S. – don’t you love that word?).
Why I Love This Recipe
I loved how this recipe came out. It has more of a subtle pineapple flavor than I expected. But I do prefer this over the punch in the face artificial flavors you usually get. If you do want a stronger pineapple flavor, I think adding some of the fruit should do the trick. Either through a homemade jam to top or even making a type of upside down pineapple cake.
But the main reason I love this recipe is that it creates a way of making sure you use most of the fruit. One of the main lessons that I’m learning with having my own garden is how much work, time, and love goes into growing ONE fruit or veggie. It really puts things into perspective for me. It made me appreciate food even more.
Anyways, that’s some of the behind the scenes of this recipe. I hope that you give this a go and can’t wait to hear how it goes for you. It might seem like it has extra steps, but honestly, once you have your infused water, it’s super quick to make.
And if you are ready to embark in a deliciously nourishing journey to eating in a way that’s in alignment with your body, mind, soul, AND planet, make sure to check out The Green Way – Eating Healthy & Sustainably. The Green Way is my online program that debunks the idea that eating healthy AND sustainably is expensive, complicated, and time consuming! Learn more about The Green Way right HERE.
Pina Colada Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pineapple infused water (using pineapple peel)
- 1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 brown and 1/2 coconut)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Coconut shreds and pineapple to top
Instructions:
- First make the pineapple infused water. Boil the peel of an entire pineapple in a pot with 4-5 cups of water for about 25 minutes. Blend using a blender and strain liquid. The liquid is what you’re going to use for the recipe. The pulp left behind you can toss in your garden to give it a little boost. I added mine to my herb garden.
- To make the cake, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and mix well.
- In a blender add the cooled pineapple water, sugar, oil, and egg and blend well.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and using a whisk mix well until there are no longer clumps.
- Bake for 40 minutes in a square baking dish coated with a little bit of oil to avoid sticking.
