How to make a Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaican Pineapple Rum Cake

Jamaican Christmas Fruit Cake are a staple of Christmas. They're even nicer for children, especially if they glow in the dark as pointed out in my blog article entitled “How to make Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaican Christmas Fruit Cake”.

But this Christmas, the Pineapple is set to rule the Cake world. Imagine a pina colada in fruit cake form but all sparkly; that's a Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaican Pineapple Rum Cake.

With Sorrel being in short supply and JP Tropical Foods is now selling pineapple slices in supermarkets as reported in my blog article entitled “Why JP Tropical Foods Pineapples will be a hit in Jamaica this Christmas”, you knew that Pineapple Cake was going to be a thing in Jamaica!

So without further ado, let me introduce you to my latest creation, the Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaican Pineapple Rum Cake. Run to your nearest Hi-Lo Supermarket an gather these ingredients:

1.      1 pineapple, peeled & cored

2.      1/4 to 1/2 grated coconut

3.      2-1/4 cup butter divided into 1 cup & 1-1/4 cup

4.      1-1/4 cup buttermilk

5.      3/4 cup evaporated milk

6.      1 Cup Schweppes Tonic Water

7.      5 large eggs

8.      3-3/4 cups flour

9.      3-3/4 cups sugar, divided into 2-1/2 sugar & 3/4 cup sugar

10.  1 cup confectioners sugar

11.  1/2 teaspoon salt

12.  2-1/4 teaspoon baking soda

13.  3 tablespoons Jamaican Wray & Nephew Rum

14.  1-1/4 teaspoon pineapple extract

15.  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The directions are so easy, even if you were already taste-testing the Jamaican Wray & Nephew Rum, you could still make heads and tails of this recipe:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

2.      Peel and core the pineapple. 

3.      Finely chop or crush enough of the pineapple to make 1-1/2 cups.

4.      Place leftover pineapple in the refrigerator to use in another dish or to garnish the cake.

5.      Grease and flour four 9 lb cake pans.

6.      Place 1-1/4 cup butter and 2-1/2 cups sugar in large mixing bowl. 

7.      Cream until smooth and well-blended.

8.      One at a time, add the eggs, beating each one into the butter/sugar mixture before adding the next one.

9.      In another mixing bowl,  mix together the dry ingredients i.e. flour, salt and baking soda

10.  In a third bowl, combine the liquid ingredients i.e. pineapple extract, the rum and the buttermilk 

11.  Add a small amount of the dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture and stir in. 

12.  Then add a small amount of the liquid ingredients and stir those in. 

13.  Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients, stirring after each addition.

14.  Fold in the pineapple when all of the liquid ingredients and all of the dry ingredients have been thoroughly mixed with the sugar/butter mixture

15.  Divide the batter between the four pans and bake approximately 20 – 25 minutes. 

16.  Check for completeness by sticking a toothpick into the center of the cake; if clean, the cake is done. Cool cakes completely before removing from pans.

The Jamaican Pineapple Rum Cake has now been upgraded with new super-powers. It’ll glow the dark once you have a UV lamp handy. Even better, you can make glow-in-the-dark glaze from the remaining butter, sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and Schweppes Tonic Water.

Just add to a saucepan and boil over a medium heat for five (5) minutes. With some leftover pineapple and cherries as garnish, you glaze can be layered on top of the cake and the cakes will serves a family of 10 hungry-belly children. The Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaican Pineapple Rum Cake will look like a super-cool oozing yellow volcanoes that makes you a little tipsy.

Even more awesome is when you turn off the lights and only your fiber optic Christmas tree as described in my blog article entitled “Why Jamaicans Purchasing Fiber Optic Christmas Tree makes sense - Save on your Electricity Bill this Christmas”  illuminates the living room irradiated by the glow of your Glow-in-the-Dark Jamaican Pineapple Rum Cake!