Tropical Honeymoon Cake Recipes

LUSCIOUS TROPICAL DREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Drain pineapple, reserving 1 cup juice. Prepare cake batter as directed on package, substituting reserved juice for 1 cup of the water. Pour into 15x10x1-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 15 to 18 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
• Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min. Stir in pineapple; spread over cake. Cover with COOL WHIP; top with coconut and nuts. Keep refrigerated.

HAWAIIAN HONEYMOON CAKE

Steps:

• CAKE: Preheat oven to 350F; grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking pan.
• Drain the pineapple and mandarin oranges, reserving 1 cup of mandarin orange juice.
• Place drained fruit in food processor bowl and pulse until the fruit is pulverized.
• Mix cake mix, reserved orange juice, eggs, oil, 1 cup of coconut, and half of the fruit until well blended.
• Pour cake batter into pan and bake as the mix directs or until it tests down with a toothpick (This took about 25-30 minutes with my mix, pan and oven).
• Cool thoroughly.
• FROSTING: Cream together cream cheese, pudding mix, gelatin, the remaining fruit, and 1/4 cup coconut until well mixed and somewhat smooth (it will still have some lumps due to the fruit and coconut).
• Gently stir in Cool Whip until well-incorporated but do not overmix.
• Spread frosting on cooled cake and sprinkle with remaining coconut.
• Chill well before serving and store the cake in the refrigerator.

TROPICAL HONEYMOON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the coconut cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Whisk 1/4 cup water, the cream of coconut, coconut extract, vanilla extract, egg whites and egg in a large bowl until combined.
• Mix the flour, shredded coconut, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 15 seconds. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat on low speed until the mixture forms a ball, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add half the cream of coconut mixture. Beat on low speed until the flour mixture is moistened, about 15 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the batter is light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With the mixer still running, slowly add the remaining cream of coconut mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.
• Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full with batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
• For the mango filling: Whisk 1/4 cup juice, egg yolks and cornstarch until smooth in a small bowl. Boil the remaining 1 cup juice, granulated sugar and salt over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Slowly add half the hot liquid to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Add the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the filling thickens and boils, stirring constantly. Strain the filling through a fine mesh sieve. Cool the filling before assembling the cupcakes. Yield: about 1 1/4 cups.
• For the orange cream cheese icing: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, to desired consistency. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Yield: 3 cups.
• For the garnish: Generously sprinkle the pineapple with sugar. Use a blow torch to caramelize the pineapple, or broil in the oven on low for 1 to 2 minutes, watching carefully so the sugar does not burn. Cool the pineapple before assembling the cupcakes.
• Cook the sweetened flaked coconut in a dry saute pan over low heat, stirring often, until the coconut browns slightly and smells fragrant. Cool the coconut before assembling the cupcakes.
• To assemble: Dig a small hole inside each of the cupcakes using a teaspoon. Fill each hole with the mango filing. Top with the orange cream cheese icing. Garnish with the caramelized pineapple and toasted coconut.

TROPICAL FRUIT CAKES

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour eight 1-cup fluted tube pans or six 4-1/2x2-1/2x1-1/2-inch individual loaf pans and set pans aside.
• In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, add brown sugar; beat until combined.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until combined (The batter may appear curdled).
• Combine 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, the corn syrup, ginger, and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and rum mixture alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
• Fold in fruit bits and nuts.
• Spread batter in prepared pan.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes for fluted tube pans or 30 to 35 minutes for loaf pans or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool at least 1 hour on racks.
• Poke holes in cakes using a wooden toothpick or bamboo skewer.
• Soak eight or six 8-inch-square pieces of double thickness 100-percent cotton cheesecloth with the 1/3 cup rum or pineapple juice and wrap each cake in rum- or juice-soaked cheesecloth.
• Wrap each cake tightly in foil or seal in a plastic bag.
• Chill in refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Remove foil or remove cakes from bags; drizzle with 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice. Rewrap with foil or return to plastic bags and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
• Remove cheesecloth before serving.
• If desired, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar. Makes 6 or 8 cakes (24 servings).
• Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare Tropical Fruit Cake as directed through until the 24 hr chill, except refrigerate up to 5 days. (Or prepare Tropical Fruit Cakes as directed through up to 24 hr chill, except do not sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place in self-sealing freezer bags. Seal, label, and freeze up to 3 months.)
• To serve, thaw frozen cakes in freezer bags in the refrigerator overnight. Serve as directed.

TROPICAL DELIGHT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Generously grease 12-cup bundt cake pan.
• Mix coconut, nuts, and butter; sprinkle in pan.
• Drain pineapple thoroughly; reserve syrup.
• Add enough water to syrup to measure 1 1/4 cups.
• Blend cake mix (dry), eggs, pineapple liquid, and oil in large mixer bowl on low speed, scraping bowl constantly, until moistened, about 1/2 minute.
• Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently, 3 minutes.
• Do Not Overbeat!
• Pour batter into prepared pan, and then spoon pineapple evenly over the batter.
• Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes; invert on wire rack.
• Remove pan; cool completely.

TROPICAL HONEYMOON CAKE

Steps:

• Sift together flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• Stir in oil and eggs.
• Add remaining ingredients and pour into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until tests done.
• Cool completely before frosting.
• For Frosting: Combine all ingredients and frost cake.
• Keep covered and refrigerated.