Before I even began making layer cakes I stumbled across this dessert on Pinterest (of course) called Pineapple Dream. It looked delicious and I was eager to just get in the kitchen - it didn’t matter what I was making - so I decided to give it a whirl.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better dessert. I’m serious. At the time, it was just my husband and I and we couldn’t control ourselves! The whole pan was gone within 2 days (it’s all about balance, right?). 

Looking back at some desserts I’ve made over the last few years inspired me more than I could’ve imagined - I had no idea that Homemade by Celena would even be a thing three years ago, but here we are. 

And here’s this cake, beautifully inspired by this oh-so-delicious Pineapple Delight dessert.

 The original recipe (here) starts with a graham cracker crust, pineapple whipped cream cheese filling and Cool Whip. It’s no-bake and I love that for summertime, however, it seems like my oven is always on nowadays! 

Anyways, back to the cake. I wanted the pineapple element of this dessert to shine in the cake so I thought it needed more contrast than a typical vanilla cake could provide. Enter the heavenly - I don’t take that word lightly - strawberry cake. 

Strawberries and pineapples are a match made in heaven and I’m a little upset that I didn’t think of that pairing before now. 

I made this cake two different ways because on paper, I couldn’t decide on which combination I liked most. 

The first attempt was the opposite of the final product. Strawberry cake, pineapple curd, and strawberry buttercream. I didn’t like how much the pineapple was being overpowered by the strawberry, so we went back to the drawing board and tried again! 

Finally, we have:

• Pineapple cake layers

• Whipped strawberry filling

• Pineapple curd

• Fresh sliced strawberries

• Strawberry buttercream

• Vanilla buttercream

The final result is 100% what I imagined this cake to be in my head: the perfect balance of pineapple and strawberry and the perfect ratio of cake to filling to buttercream. 

The buttercream may have turned out a bit darker than I imagined in my head, but hey, there’s always next time, right?

I’m in love with this cake and I think you would be too! 

Enjoy!