Heavenly… Pina Colada Cake (Reduced Fat & 444 Calories)

This past weekend my brother decided to throw one of his impromptu family barbeques. Of course, I went since there was great company, great food, and great weather.

I wanted to bake a cake and immediately got on the phone with my niece, Rhea, who convinced me to bake a Pina Colada Cake instead of a Pineapple Cake, which is what I was thinking.
My objective was to make the cake portion with a minimal amount of oil so I increased the pineapple which added a ton of moisture. I also added some sweetened shredded coconut which added more moisture.
In addition to all purpose white flour, I threw in some whole wheat pastry flour for some fiber. By no means am I claiming this cake is low-fat, however it is definitely reduced-fat in comparison to other Pineapple Coconut Cakes out there which are made with butter, and not oil.
I took this recipe up a notch by adding Puerto Rican Coconut Rum, oh, YES please! While baking, I kept sipping on the rum straight up, and well I decided to add some to the frosting as well = heavenly.
Speaking of frosting, I used Neufchatel Cream Cheese which is a type of French cheese and ⅓ reduced fat than regular cream cheese. However, I did add a stick of butter and topped it off with toasted coconut - it's all about balance, and seriously, you can't make frosting without butter, c'mon!
End result? HEAVENLY! Most people enjoyed this cake very much and I was so happy because this was all my creation.
NUTRITION: Whole wheat pastry flour adds some fiber and protein to this recipe. Although coconut contains high amounts of fat and calories, it does contain some protein and fiber, however it should be eaten in moderation. The cake portion of this recipe is not so terrible for you since it contains Canola Oil which contains very little saturated fat. On the contrary, the frosting portion is pretty fattening, so you can choose to half the frosting recipe and skip the toasted coconut on top for a even more healthier version of this scrumptious cake.

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

I modified this Hummingbird Cake recipe and came up with this Pina Colada Cake.
Typically most Pineapple Coconut Cakes are made with butter, my version contains Canola Oil which contains virtually no saturated fat.
I increased the amount of pineapple and compensated for the reduced oil amount in this recipe.
I increased the fiber and added 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 16 slices)

Calories: 444 cals
Fat: 21 g
Saturated Fat: 10.5 g
Carbs: 62 g
Protein: 4.4 g
Fiber: 1.9 g

PINA COLADA CAKE (REDUCED FAT) (inspired by this Hummingbird Cake recipe)
~ yields 16 slices @ 350 degrees using 2-9 inch round baking trays

INGREDIENTS:

All Purpose Flour – 1 cup
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1 cup
Baking Soda – ⅔ teaspoon
Salt – ⅔ teaspoon
Sugar – 1 ⅓ cups
Eggs – 2 large
Canola Oil – ½ cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 teaspoon
Malibu Puerto Rican Coconut Rum – 1 tablespoon
Dole Crushed Pineapple, undrained – 2 – 8 ounce cans
Sweetened Shredded Coconut – 1 cup
Sweetened Shredded Coconut – 1 cup (toasted) – for the top and sides (optional, by cutting out the coconut on top you will save 560 calories and 40 grams of fat – totally worth skipping it)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 2 round baking pans.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients… all purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix.
4. Add the wet ingredients… eggs and oil. Combine, the batter will be a bit tough at this point.

5. Now add the 2 cans of undrained crushed pineapple, coconut rum, and vanilla extract.
6. Mix well so all the batter is well combined, DO NOT OVERMIX.
7. Add 1 cup of shredded coconut.
8. Combine.
9. Pour the batter into baking pans.
10. Into the oven for 30 minutes.
11. Voila – perfectly golden brown.
12. Toast the other 1 cup of coconut for a few minutes until slightly golden. Stay close because the coconut can easily burn. Set aside.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (REDUCED FAT)
~ yields enough frosting for a 2-layer cake

INGREDIENTS:

Neufchatel Cream Cheese (⅓ reduced fat) – One 8 ounce bar
Unsalted Butter – 1 stick
Confectioners Sugar – 3 cups
Malibu Puerto Rican Coconut Rum – 1 tablespoon (add more if need be, but careful so you don’t dilute the frosting)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the cream cheese and butter at room temperature in a bowl. Should be light and whipped.
2. Add the confectioners sugar, start with 2 cups and work your way up. Add the coconut rum.
3. Frosting is ready.
FROST THE CAKE

FROSTING RATING: The frosting was amazing and had a slight coconut flavor. Very yummy and it is somewhat reduced fat since I used Neufchatel Cream Cheese.

OVERALL RATING: 5 / 5
This cake was phenomenal. Everything from the texture to the moistness to the flavor was perfection. Everyone at the barbeque loved it and I received tons of compliments, hence this Pina Colada Cake is a keeper! Definitely the best cake I have ever made. I’d really appreciate some feedback if you make this cake.