Tropical Honeymoon Cake Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Prepare both boxes of vanilla pudding according to the package directions, using an electric mixer. Blend the cream cheese into the pudding, mixing thoroughly to remove any lumps. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese-pudding mixture.
• Spread a third of the graham cracker crumbs into an even layer in a low-sided clear bowl. Pour half of the pudding over the crumbs and spread until it reaches the sides of the bowl using an offset spatula. Repeat this process once, setting the remaining third of the graham cracker crumbs aside. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the pudding and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Following the edge of the bowl, create a 1 1/2-inch border of blue sparkle gel around the edge of of the pudding. Use a small offset spatula to gently spread the blue sparkle gel, creating the look and texture of ocean waves. Cover the remaining exposed pudding by piling the reserved graham cracker crumbs on top, mounding in the center, to resemble an island in the ocean.
• Cut the sour candy belts into small rectangles to resemble beach towels and place them around the cake with the bear crackers on top of each one. Place a few bear crackers inside peach candy rings (to look like inner tubes) and place them in the blue sparkle gel so that they appear to be bobbing in the water.
• To make the palm trees: Insert a mint stem into each wafer cookie, pushing down until the leaves meet the top of the cookie. Gently press into the center of the graham cracker crumb island.
• To make the candy crab: Use scissors to snip a small triangle out of the rounded side of a cherry slice, positioning it close to the flat side, to look like a claw. Snip a small notch out of the opposite side along the curve, to fashion the arm that the claw is attached to. Repeat this process with a second cherry slice. Insert a toothpick lengthwise into each arm and set aside. Prepare the crab body by holding the rounded sides of 2 cherry slices together back to back. Secure together using 2 toothpicks, being sure to push the toothpicks deep enough so they are only exposed on top. To make the eyes, use a dab of blue sparkle gel to attach an eyeball to the bottom of each gumdrop. Secure the gumdrops on the toothpicks sticking out of the crab body. Push the claw toothpicks into the sides of the crab body. Bury the bottom half of the crab body in the graham cracker crumb sand.
• Sprinkle the island with sanding sugars where the ocean meets the graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, soda, eggs, and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack. , In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, eggs, butter and pineapple. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat; stir in coconut. Spread over warm cake. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes., Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, sugar, 3-1/2 cups coconut and sour cream. Set aside 1 cup for frosting. Place one cake on a serving plate; top with a third of the remaining pineapple mixture. Repeat layers twice. , Fold whipped topping into the reserved pineapple mixture. Spread over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut if desired. Refrigerate until serving.