Homemade Confetti Cake with an elevated, tropical twist! Bonus: it’s artificial dye-free!
As promised, I had to share this Piña Colada Confetti Cake recipe I concocted for Nathan’s 40th Sail-ebration! While I was fantasizing how to throw a flawless surprise party for my man’s milestone birthday, I couldn’t help but feel that nostalgia was fitting for the occasion.
Nathan’s mom always used to make him a Betty Crocker Funfetti/Rainbow Chip cake for his birthday growing up. It was such a cherished treat that even when they made the move from Pennsylvania to outer Mongolia, she made sure to pack a few boxes. I mean, with the shelf-stable, preservative-laden mix, what’s gonna happen?
But boys grow into men, and tastes inevitably change…
Flash forward: May 2021, his b-day a couple years into our marriage, we decided to throw caution to the wind. I swear by baking from scratch, but Nathan was waxing nostalgic. Off to the processed, packaged, cake-mix aisle we went, scoring a box of the real-deal Funfetti and a can of Rainbow Chip frosting to boot.
And it did NOT taste like he remembered. Maybe it was missing his mother’s love baked in. Maybe he tasted resentment from my cake-mix compromise. Or maybe, his tastes had refined, and it was no longer worth the walk down memory lane for a flavor he no longer enjoyed.
For whatever the reason, he swore off boxed confetti cake or frosting of any kind.
Elevated Escape
Still, when Nathan’s 40th birthday was approaching, I kept getting struck by the idea of making him confetti cake. For marking midlife, the nod to memories of childhood felt appropriately significant. But I really, really, really didn’t want to make a store-bought, cake-mix, confetti cake! And after our last experience with it, I knew it’d just be a party pooper.
So, what to do? Find a from-scratch confetti cake recipe that I can adapt… and elevate!
And what better way to elevate his birthday confetti cake than by incorporating a tropical twist! If you like Piña Coladas… Bake that into a cake! You know the song…
Funny side note I felt needed to be clarified for any fellow White Lotus fans out there: I ABSOLUTELY came up with this plan before the Piña Colada cameo. IYKYK. If not, SPOILER ALERT!
Now, we’re gonna get to the good stuff…
Piña Colada Confetti Cake
I’ll preface the recipe here with an important note: the base cake is a simple confetti cake. It comes together quickly with minimal effort. If that’s all your after, skip the additional pineapple and coconut components altogether. It’s still a fantastic cake.
I adapted Molly Yeh’s Sprinkle Cake recipe with decidedly ideal results, after some choice modifications. She bans naturally-colored sprinkles in this recipe. Bish, please. Challenge accepted.
My holy grail recommendation of plant-based colored sprinkles that hold up to baking heat while maintaining vibrancy: Supernatural Rainbow Crunchies! They also taste delicious, unlike artificially-dyed, waxy-tasting sprinkles.
I’ll also give a well-deserved shout out to a couple other ingredients I incorporated into this recipe:
McCormick’s Clear Imitation Vanilla
This really does keep your cake white and gives you all the nostalgic Funfetti-cake flavor notes without all of the sickening additives and preservatives. It tastes “cheap” in a good, intentional way when you’re vying for a very specific flavor. And it’s also a lot less expensive than the real thing.
Mauna Loa’s Premium Roasted Macadamia Nuts
Decadently-rich, lightly-salted… Who doesn’t love a good macadamia nut? Perfect for complementing the tropical vibes for which I was aiming, these were absolutely delicious paired with sweet, toasty coconut, coconut cookies, and sea salt.
Tate’s Bake Shop Coconut Crisp Cookies
Buttery, coconutty, crispy. These cookies are laudable. Especially when blitzed up with toasted coconut, macadamia nuts, sea salt, and coating this delicious Piña Colada Confetti Cake. Little insider tip here: you can make killer snack-wiches by spreading a little leftover pineapple curd in between two of these cookies. Mmm-mmm-mmm. Tropical treat yo’self.
Anywayyy, credit where credit is due…
Some additional partial credit nods go to this Pineapple Curd recipe and the coconut frosting adaptation came from America’s Test Kitchen’s coconut cake recipe that I made for Orson’s Dino-FOUR birthday.
It was my brilliant innovation which alchemized these multiple components into the milestone-worthy, delectable delight that is my Piña Colada Confetti Cake. Haha, in truth I agonized over the details and doubted whether it would be delicious or just potently over-saccharine up until the first bite… When all my anxieties were assuaged.
Although the ingredient list seems intimidating at first glance, I’ve got everything broken down into easily-digestible mini recipes. Confetti cake, followed by pineapple curd, coconut frosting, coconut crumble, and the optional (but highly recommended) cake-topping Piña Colada gelée, respectively.
And, with some forethought, you can make all of the components quickly. I started making everything for this cake the day before his party, and it all came together with ease, regardless of setting times required for the curd and gelée.
Added bonus: my neighbor, Brandon, hates cake. It’s a whole thing. And he took home a third of this Piña Colada Confetti Cake. Oh yeah, Nathan loved it, too.
Piña Colada Confetti Cake
Equipment
- 1 Kitchenaid Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 Food Processor for blitzing coconut crumble
- 1 Piping Bag Wilton 1A tip
- 1 Offset Spatula
- 3 9" Cake Pans
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack
- Parchment Paper
- Plastic Wrap
- Sifter
- Sieve
- Silicone Heat-Safe Spatula
Ingredients
Confetti Cake (Three 9" Cake Layers)
- 3¾ cups Cake Flour
- ⅓ cup Corn Starch
- 1½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- 3 sticks Unsalted Butter room temp
- 2¼ cups Granulated Sugar
- 6 Large Egg Whites
- ⅓ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1½ tbsp Clear Imitation Vanilla
- ¾ tsp Almond Extract
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp Whole Milk
- ¾ cup Supernatural Rainbow Crunchie Sprinkles
Pineapple Curd
- 2 cups Pineapple Juice
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1½ tbsp Corn Starch
- 6 Egg Yolks
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter cubed
Coconut-Buttercream Frosting
- 2 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 tsp Coconut Extract
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter Softened, cubed
- ¼ cup Cream of Coconut Goya
- 3 cups Confectioners' Sugar
Coconut-Crumble Coating
- 2 cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes
- 3 Tate's Coconut Crisp Cookies
- ½ Mauna Loa Dry-Roasted, Salted Macadamia Nuts
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
(Optional) Piña Colada Gelée
- 1 envelope Knox Gelatin Powder
- ¼ cup Cold Water
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Boiling Water
- ¼ cup Pineapple Juice **Must be canned
- 2 tbsp Cream of Coconut Goya
- ½ cup Coconut Rum Island Getaway
- ¼ cup Pineapple Vodka Deep Eddy's
- A few drops of blue plant-based food coloring Optional
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and prep the pans with grease and parchment paper.
- Sift together cake flour, corn starch, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Gently whisk, then set aside.3¾ cups Cake Flour, ⅓ cup Corn Starch, 1½ tsp Kosher Salt, 3 tsp Baking Powder
- Cream together unsalted butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.3 sticks Unsalted Butter, 2¼ cups Granulated Sugar
- With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites, mixing after each one until incorporated. Add the coconut oil and extracts.6 Large Egg Whites, ⅓ cup Vegetable Oil, 1½ tbsp Clear Imitation Vanilla, ¾ tsp Almond Extract
- Reduce speed on mixer to low. Then, alternate adding dry ingredients and whole milk, about ⅓ of each at a time. Mix until just barely combined.1 cup + 2 tbsp Whole Milk
- Gently fold in the Rainbow Crunchies, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.¾ cup Supernatural Rainbow Crunchie Sprinkles
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until an internal temperature reads between 205-210℉ or once it passes the toothpick test, about 25 minutes for cake layers.
- Allow cake layers to cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, turn them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Once cool enough, wrap individual layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
For the Curd
- Bring two cups of pineapple juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes, until roughly 1 cup of concentrated pineapple juice is left.2 cups Pineapple Juice
- Mix lime juice, granulated sugar, corn starch, and egg yolks together in a medium saucepan. Whisk until smooth and even.2 tbsp Lime Juice, ½ cup Granulated Sugar, 1½ tbsp Corn Starch, 6 Egg Yolks
- While constantly whisking, slowly pour in the concentrated pineapple juice to avoid cooking the yolks. Once smooth, add the butter, a bit at a time, and whisk after each addition to ensure smooth incorporation.6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly.
- Once it begins to boil, reduce to medium heat. When the pineapple curd becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, allow it to cook for about 5 more minutes. Cook until internal temp check is 180-190℉.
- Remove from heat, then blend thoroughly with an immersion blender. Strain through a mesh sieve into a heat-proof bowl to ensure a velvety smooth curd. Cover bowl with cling wrap, and make sure it's touching the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill in the fridge until completely set and ready to use. Best to refrigerate overnight.
For the Coconut-Buttercream Frosting
- Combine the heavy whipping cream, extracts, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.2 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream, 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste, 1 tsp Coconut Extract, ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- Beat the butter and cream of coconut in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth.2 sticks Unsalted Butter, ¼ cup Cream of Coconut
- Reduce the speed to med-low and slowly incorporate the confectioner's sugar. Beat for approximately 2 minutes until smooth.3 cups Confectioners' Sugar
- Add the heavy cream-extract mixture, and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until light and fluffy (~4 minutes).
For the Coconut-Crumble Coating
- Toast the sweetened coconut flakes on a cookie sheet in the oven, 350℉ for about 12 minutes. Stir every few minutes. Turn the oven off, leave the flakes in for 4-5 more minutes, until golden brown and crispy.2 cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes
- Combine 1 cup of the toasted coconut flakes and about 3 to 4 coconut cookies together in a food processor, and pulse until sandy. Empty into a bowl with the remaining toasted coconut.3 Tate's Coconut Crisp Cookies
- Carefully blitz Macadamia Nuts with salt. Just a few pulses, or it'll start to turn into nut butter. Add to bowl and gently mix by hand.½ Mauna Loa Dry-Roasted, Salted Macadamia Nuts, ½ tsp Kosher Salt
For the Piña Colada Gelée (Optional)
- Line a 6" cake pan with plastic wrap. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the envelope of gelatin powder over the cold water. Set aside.1 envelope Knox Gelatin Powder, ¼ cup Cold Water
- Bring water to a boil, add the granulated sugar, and whisk until dissolved.2 tbsp Granulated Sugar, ½ cup Boiling Water
- Carefully pour the boiling water into the gelatin and whisk until dissolved.
- Pour in the canned pineapple juice, cream of coconut, coconut rum, pineapple vodka, and blue food coloring into the gelatin water; then, whisk to fully incorporate.¼ cup Pineapple Juice, 2 tbsp Cream of Coconut, ½ cup Coconut Rum, ¼ cup Pineapple Vodka, A few drops of blue plant-based food coloring
- Pour into prepared cake pan as thick as desired. Refrigerate until set.
For Cake Assembly
- Level out cake layers as necessary.
- Fill a piping bag with coconut-buttercream frosting, fitted with a wide-open tip, like a Wilton 1A.
- Add a dollop of coconut-buttercream frosting to a cake serving tray, and place your first cake layer. Use an off-set spatula to spread a thin layer of coconut-buttercream frosting evenly across the top of the cake layer. Just enough to get a bite of pineapple AND coconut with every bite.
- Pipe a dam of coconut-buttercream frosting around the circumference of the cake layer. Fill the first layer with about half of your pineapple curd (⅔-1 cup of curd per layer) and spread it out to the border of frosting with an offset spatula.
- Add second layer and repeat.
- Top cake with final layer, and then, crumb coat. The amount of frosting should be just enough to apply a thick crumb coat. Enough to catch the coconut crumble, but not so much to overpower the cake with sweet frosting. If you're a frosting person, add 50% to the frosting recipe.
- Coat most of the cake with coconut crumble, leaving enough space on top of the cake for the gelée (if using).
- Place gelée on top of cake carefully, then frame with irregular pipes of remaining buttercream. Cover buttercream with more of the coconut-crumble coating to resemble sand dunes. Et voilà! Beach cake with a little water feature!
Notes
- I like to go by weight when portioning out my cake batter to get as even layers as possible. For instance, I know my stand mixer bowl is 1,029 grams. I subtract that from the weight of the bowl + batter. Then, I divide that number by 3. I’ll set my cake pans, one at a time, on my kitchen scale, zero it out, then add batter until I get the perfect distribution for each pan.
- For the curd filling, see how many cups you have, and divide it by 2 for the perfect amount per layer. I used about 2/3 cup of curd per layer for Nathan’s cake.
- This is meant to be a “sandy”, messy cake. However, you can optionally place strips of parchment paper just under the edge of the first cake layer before frosting and adding coconut-crumble to minimize the messiness.
- If you’re planning a beach/nautical party, check out my post “Let’s Sailebrate” for some fun suggestions, including this cake.