Pina Colada Jar Cake

Sorry about the cake post right after the weight loss post but in reality cake is still part of a balanced diet. Everything in moderation. I mentioned I had lost this recipe. When I did a google search I found several sites with this recipe but, thankfully, they were all the same recipe so I believe it's the same. This recipe got me thinking, jar cakes might make great rum cakes, just bake them in the jar and let cool. Pour over alcohol of choice and let sit. I'll have to pull out a rum cake recipe to get instructions but I think it can be done and how cute to give out little rum cakes at the holidays.
I don't think I ever pureed the pineapple in this recipe because I'm a little lazy and I love the chunks of pineapple. I, also, use unsweetened coconut because I prefer it.

Pina Colada Jar Cake
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in natural juices
11 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
1/2 cup dark rum
3 1/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coconut, sweetened flaked
Preheat oven to 325°. Wash 8 wide mouth 1-pint canning jars with lids in hot, soapy water. Let dry on clean paper towels or dish towels. Generously grease inside of each jar. Drain crushed pineapple a colander, squeezing to get as much of the juice out as possible; reserve juice. Put the well-drained pineapple in a food processor; pulse until smooth. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the puree. If necessary, to make 1 1/2 cups, add a small amount of the reserved juice. Set puree aside. Discard remaining juice or freeze to use as liquid for a cake or other dish. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light. Beat in eggs, beating well after each addition. Beat in pineapple puree and rum; set aside.
Into another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients, about 1/3 at a time, to the pineapple batter mixture, beating well after each addition to make a thick batter. Stir in coconut. Measure 1 level cupful of batter to spoon into a jar. Repeat with remaining batter and jars. Carefully wipe rims clean, then place jars in center of preheated oven. Bake 40 minutes. Cake should spring back when lightly touched with finger. About 10 minutes before cakes are done, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Put in jar lids, cover, and remove from heat. Keep lids in hot water until they're used. When cakes are done, remove jars from oven. If jar rims need cleaning, use a moistened paper towel. Carefully put lids and rings in place, then screw tops tightly shut. Place jars on a wire rack; they will seal as they cool.

Coconut Zucchini Muffins

I love coconut flour. It's a bit pricey but always takes me a long time to go through a bag since I use it sparingly. I don't substitute all the flour in a recipe for coconut flour even though I hear you can. It's a high fiber flour and can cause some upset stomachs if not used to it. I like the subtle coconut flavor, however you can add more flavor by adding shredded coconut to the muffin. Remember to add extra moisture. These still were a bit dry so I'll be trying them with a little applesauce next time.

Coconut Zucchini Muffins
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 TB baking powder
3 TB sugar
2 TB oil
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 teas vanilla
Mix together dry ingredients. Blend in oil and egg. Drizzle in milk and vanilla, stir until completely wet. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Coconut Rum Pie

It was a crazy four days. I helped my aunt move for two of them and was so tired and had so many errands after that my remaining two days didn't give me much time for pie experiments. However, I managed to make 2 really good pies. The first was a banana cream pie that I mashed together using two different recipes and the second was this coconut rum pie. I have to get the banana cream pie recipe sorted out to share.
This coconut rum pie is based on the recipe of my Irish Whiskey Pie which is a family favorite. Irish Whiskey pie is full of quick ingredients like Cool-whip and a pre-made crust. I wanted something that was all natural from start to finish. It also turned out to be gluten free - which works for so many people. It's not dairy free so be aware.
The coconut I used in the crust is a finely shredded organic unsweetened coconut. If you use a less fine shred, you may need more than what I used.

Coconut Rum Pie
Crust:
2 oz chocolate chips
4 oz butter
1 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut
Melt chocolate and butter in a glass dish in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and return to the microwave for another 30 seconds if not melted. Stir until smooth. Slowly add the coconut, stirring after every 1/2 cup. Add more if necessary to make a thick paste. Press into the bottom of pie pan to make a bottom crust. Set in refrigerator to harden while making the filling.
Filling:
1 package unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
2 eggs, separated
2/3 cup whole milk
1-2 cups sweetened whipped cream (I had some left over from the banana cream pie so I can't say how much liquid whipping cream it takes or how much sugar I used)
Combine gelatin and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small to medium sauce pan. Add milk, egg yolks and rum. Stir and set on medium-high heat. Stir constantly and let heat until thickened. Set in refrigerator until completely thick (jello/pudding consistency). Beat egg whites until they reach soft peaks, add remaining tablespoon of sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Beat thick filling in pan until somewhat smooth (I have never gotten it really smooth and no one seemed to mind a lumpy pie). Fold in egg whites and whipped cream. Gently fill crust and chill until completely firm. Let sit out for up to 2 hours to soften enough to cut (okay I don't think our pies have ever sat out that long and I cut into them just fine, you can speed this up by using the freezer to set the filling before adding egg whites and whipped cream and then after to set up for serving because I never start making this pie early enough).

Always use fresh eggs for this pie. The alcohol in the rum helps kill germs in the egg whites. I have heard you can use pasturized eggs but I have never tried them. No one I know of has gotten sick from the whiskey pie and I wouldn't guess that they would from this version.