376989 Sat Mar 03 10:35:41 -0800 2007 2 31 Home Cooking 0 2348808 All the recipes I'd seen for pineapple coconut cake called for pineapple between the layers but not in the cake itself, and I was wondering how that would work. So when my wife unexpectedly brought home a fresh pineapple the other day, I remembered I had leftover coconut milk in the fridge. I pulled out my favorite coconut cake recipe, from Nick Malgieri (I forget which book) and wondered whether I'd have to adjust for extra liquid. I decided I wouldn't, so long as I cooked the pineapple with a little sugar until it was very soft and drained it well. Turns out I was right. I added a small amount of almond extract for good measure, but the rest of the recipe remained the same. I iced the cake with cream cheese frosting borrowed from my favorite carrot cake recipe, and instead of lemon juice, used some of the leftover pineapple cooking liquid. Rave reviews from the family; my younger son, who just turned seven, announced that he wanted this cake for his next birthday. Sat Mar 03 10:35:41 -0800 2007 78922 improvcook 1 2348911 improvcook--a few questions! --how much pineapple? (I'm assuming this is a 2 layer cake, 8 or 9 inches around?) Did you put pineapple between layers too? Did the cake taste of almond, as well as coconut? This cake will be my next, it sounds too good to pass up. TIA! Sat Mar 03 11:21:19 -0800 2007 2348808 42470 blue room 1 2348933 Yes, blue room, two layers, nine inches. I used fourteen ounces of pineapple, which seemed about right. I cooked them somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes (I was interrupted in the middle, so I can't be sure), until they were so soft I could cut the pieces with the soup spoon I'd stirred them with. When drained and cool, I chopped them up further into tiny pieces (I wouldn't recommend a food processor, here, because you might release more liquid). No, the cake didn't taste of almond, too, that I noticed, though maybe it's underneath. I may have been too timid, with only a half-teaspoon of almond extract. I used no pineapple between the layers, only the cream cheese frosting, which had a hint of pineapple because of the reserved liquid. Sat Mar 03 11:31:30 -0800 2007 2348808 78922 improvcook