Lemon Lime Layer Cake with Pineapple Coconut Curd

I have been looking for this cake all of my life!! Ok, maybe only half my life. While growing up my sister and I spent a lot of time with our maternal grandparents’. Grandma and Grandpa’s, we were there just about everyday. Fall and winter, but the best time was spring and summer. My grandparents were proprietor’s of several businesses in our community for many, many years. One of the businesses was seasonal from about early April to late September. “Speed’s Dairy & Grill” was open 7 days a week. Ice cream cones, milkshakes and banana splits, hamburgers, coneys, and fries. Those were some of the best days of summer getting some soft serve ice cream from Speed’s. Even after we had to work for the ice cream it was all still worth the reward.

But back to the cake, every so often a layer cake would turn up at the “Dairy Isle” (that’s what we called it). I never knew what is was called . I just know it was good. It was yellow cake with pineapple coconut icing and filling. It was one of the best cakes I had ever tasted, and let me tell you that is not easy for me to say. My mom and grandma were the best cooks I knew . But mom or grandma didn’t make that cake.

Who made the cake?? The sister of a lady who was working for my grandma for many years baked it. Every now and then she would send one. I wish I knew how to contact her now because I definitely would like to try her recipe.

This cake though comes especially close. I have been reading recipes for a long time. Not necessarily looking for the cake but for recipes in general. About a month ago I happened upon this recipe. And it was an immediate flashback to my childhood memory of that cake.

I had to try it! I had to bake it! I did. I was disappointed. Disappointed at the icing (I had made some changes). Disappointed at the layers height and finished product altogether. Blah. Blah. Blah. I frosted it and left it alone. I told my family to cut it whenever I didn’t expect feedback. But I got some feedback! It was good. The cake was good! It just wasn’t pretty enough to me.

So I tasted it and it was delicious. I wanted a do over. I wanted to make this cake taste and LOOK worthy enough to stand on a cake pedestal. It now is.

Pineapple Curd with Coconut

1 can (15.25 ounces) crushed pineapple packed in juice or syrup, undrrained
1 stick butter cut into 8 tablespoons

3 large eggs lightly scrambled

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

7 ounce bag shredded sweetened coconut

On medium-low heat, combine the can of undrained pineapple, butter, flour, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium stainless-steel saucepan. Stir to mix. Add in the eggs and blend in with a wooden spoon. Cook the mixture slowly without boiling it. Constantly stir the mixture touching around the sides and bottom to prevent scorching and curdling until thickened. This could take 10-15 minutes cooked slowly. When mixture is thickened stir in shredded coconut. Set aside for 1 hour and then refrigerate 6-8 hours or even over night.

Lemon Lime Cake

4 nine inch round baking pans

Pan spray

2 boxes plain lemon cake mix without pudding

1 large box 5.1 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
8 large eggs

1 1/2 corn oil

1 20 ounce bottle of lemon-lime soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs and oil with an electric mixer. Add in the cake mix, instant pudding and the lemon-lime soda mix in for about 2 minutes with the mixer.

Prepare cake pans with wax paper cutouts and pan spray. This cake will make 4 layers but you will only use 3 of them for the cake. Freeze extra layer for another use or make cupcakes.

Pour cake batter into the four cake pans and bake 2 pans at a time for 20-25 minutes. Let layers cool at least 3 hours for complete cooling.

Assemble cake layers on a beautiful platter or pedestal. Place the first layer face down and spread with enough curd just to cover. Repeat with next layer. Frost the sides of the cake after applying the last layer face down. Frost the top last. Let cake sit over night after icing for best taste results.