Ingredients

• 1 Pineapple

• 6 Eggs
• 1 cup Oil (240 mL)
• 1 cup Water (240 mL)
• Two 19 oz packages Gluten Free Vanilla Yellow Cake Mix

• 20 oz can Crushed Pineapple, including liquid (567 g)
• ½ cup Shredded Coconut (40 g)
• ¼ cup Sugar (100 g)

• Two 16 oz containers Vanilla Frosting
• 3 cups Coconut Flakes (90 g)

Instructions

1. Line a couple of large sheet pans with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple. Stand the pineapple on its end. With a serrated knife, carefully remove the outer skin. Next, place the pineapple on its side and thinly slice the pineapple, leaving the core in place (a mandolin will give you more even slices, however using a knife gives you beautiful variations in the flowers).
2. Place pineapple slices on prepared pans. Bake for 2–3 hours, watching carefully that they don’t burn, flipping when they start to dry on the top side. When the flowers start to brown slightly and are dried, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

1. Line four 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Mix one cake mix at a time per package directions. **Do not mix them together or the cake will not bake properly.** Pour into prepared pans and bake according to package directions, and allow to cool completely before assembling.

1. Place crushed pineapple, shredded coconut and sugar in a pot and cook until all the liquid evaporates and the mixture is thickened. Cool slightly.
2. If you need to level the cake layers, carefully cut the tops off with a serrated knife. Place a cake layer on a stand or platter. Spread with half the pineapple coconut filling. Top with another layer and spread with frosting. Top with another layer and spread with the rest of the pineapple coconut filling. Top with the final cake layer and frost the entire cake.

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread coconut flakes on the sheet pan. Bake for 10–15 minutes, making sure to toss every 5 minutes to evenly brown. Watch the pan closely as the coconut will toast quickly. Remove from oven when golden brown
2. Cover sides with toasted coconut and top with pineapple flowers. Refrigerate until ready to serve.