Pineapple Cake with Coconut Frosting

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This is one of Mark's favorite cakes, and there are not that many. Since Smith & Wollensky in New Orleans does not share their famous dessert's recipe, I've experimented with several recipes online. This one is based on a yogurt cake recipe which gives it a dense and moist texture. 


CAKE
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
6 slices of canned pineapple + 2 tablespoons juice
(save the rest of the juice for later)

FROSTING
10 oz. cream cheese (PHILADELPHIA)
10 fl. oz. heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a standard 9-inch round pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour; tap out excess.
Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, mix 1 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest until sugar is moist. Add 3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt (here, I used pineapple yogurt instead), 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 2 large eggs. In a blender, purée 6 slices of canned pineapple with 2 tablespoons of juice and add this to the wet mixture. Whisk to blend.
Fold in dry ingredients just to blend. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack; let cool completely.
While the cake cools, prepare the frosting.
Pour heavy whipping cream into a bowl. With electric beaters, whip until it forms a thick Chantilly cream consistency. Add cream cheese, and beat for another minute. Add vanilla extract, confectioners sugar and beat until well incorporated. Finally, add unsweetened shredded coconut and whisk just to blend.
Cut cake into 3 layers of identical thickness. Place bottom layer on a serving plate, use a couple of tablespoons of reserved pineapple juice to moisten the cake layer. Spread a quarter of the coconut frosting all over it. Repeat with the following layer. Once the top layer is on, use the remaining half of the coconut frosting to cover the top and sides of the whole cake. Sprinkle with some unsweetened shredded coconut. 
Place in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

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