Pineapple & Coconut

There are lots of flavor combinations that I love . . . chocolate & raspberry, chocolate & salt, mango & chile, pineapple & coconut . . . my early pineapple & coconut food memory comes from flat tops with two holes.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you maybe never had a Thrifty Ice Cream cone.  We loved those as kids and if my dad offered flat tops with two holes, we were there!  I loved the "Coconut Pineapple" flavor.  Smooth, creamy & tasted like Hawaiian Tropic Suntan Lotion smelled.

So, when I decided to make a pineapple upside down cake after our trip to Hawaii, I knew that I needed to make coconut ice cream to go with it.  Both of these desserts were fantastic individually but together, they were amazing.  If I do say so myself :)

I was worried about how the cake would turn out after the brown sugar / butter part spilled all over the bottom of my oven and I flooded the house with smoke, but it was good (and didn't taste like smoke).  I used fresh pineapple pieces but you could use canned.

When you make the ice cream, make sure you use cream of coconut (has sugar in it and is typically used to make pina coladas so you can find it with other mixers), not coconut milk.  I decreased the sugar from the original recipe and found that it probably could be decreased even more.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Coconut Ice Cream (makes 1.5 qt)

3 large eggs
scant 1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
20 oz coconut cream

Whisk the eggs together in a light bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the sugar until completely incorporated.  Whisk one minute more and then whisk in the cream and milk.  Stir in the coconut cream.  Immediately pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to your maker's instructions.
*Can be GF - check your coconut cream ingredients.