Bake until just very lightly golden brown and in inserted toothpick comes our clean or with a few moist crumbs. The cakes should have a slight dome. Baked times are approximately 22 minutes for cupcakes and 35 to 40 minutes for 6″ cakes.
Cool cakes in pans for 15 to 30 minutes, remove from pans, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze cakes for about 30 minutes. This will help the cakes be firm enough to cut and level, and be easier to stack.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
In the bowl of an eclectic mixer (using a stand mixer or hand mixer), beat butter until creamy and smooth. Add cold cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined.
Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add extracts after adding 1 or 2 cups of powdered sugar.
While mixing, slowly add heavy cream or dark rum. Continue to beat an additional 30 seconds or so until nice and fluffy.
Refrigerate frosting until ready to use.
To Assemble
Once the cakes have chilled in the freezer, use a large serrated knife to level the cakes as needed by removing the domes.
Apply a layer of frosting to the top of each cake and stack the cakes. Apply a crumb coat of the coconut cream cheese frosting by spreading a thin layer of icing around the sides and top of the cake. This layer of icing does not need to be perfectly smooth and it’s ok if it has a few crumbs in it.
Place entire cake in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes or until the cake and icing are firm. Remove cake from freezer and spread a final layer of frosting all over the cake.
If desired, coat the sides of the cake with toasted coconut. To toast coconut: spread about 2 cups of shredded coconut onto a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes keeping a close eye on the coconut after 3 minutes. It will go from golden to burned quickly.
Decorate cake with fresh pineapple or maraschino cherries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve and store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
NOTES
Also makes: a two layer 8″ or 9″ cake or 24 cupcakes
Approximate bake times are 22 minutes for cupcakes, 35-40 minutes for 6″ cakes (divided into three pans).
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