• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, grease and flour three 8×2 inch round pans. We like to line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper as well.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 30 seconds. Set aside
• Drain the Crushed Pineapple- We used a strainer for this.
• In another bowl, add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, drained crushed pineapple, and vanilla.  Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until the yolks have blended in.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of liquid). After the last addition, mix just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
• Divide the batter between the three prepared 8 inch cake pans.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs attached. Let cool 10 minutes and turn out.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

• Freeze your mixing bowl and beaters 15 minutes before whipping the cream (30 minutes if chilling in the refrigerator. 
• Use the whisk attachment for a stand mixer, beaters on your hand mixer.  Beat the cream until stiff peaks form.  This can happen very quickly so don't walk away from the mixer.  You are at the stiff peak stage when you lift the beater and the cream stands straight up forming a peak. Keep in the refrigerator while completing the next step.  
• In another bowl combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Beat until very smooth.  Fold this into the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate. 
• Reserve 2 cups of the frosting and set to the side to be combined with pineapple for the filling.

Pineapple Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

• Drain the 8 oz can of Crushed Pineapple- We used a strainer. Save the juice as we will be brushing some of it over the cake layers later.
• We took the two reserved cups of our Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and combined with the drained, crushed pineapple (adjust amount to your liking). We spread this in between our cake layers as well as on top of the cake (within the top border).

Assembling and Decorating

• Place the first cake layer on cake plate or pedestal. Brush over the top with reserved pineapple juice- I used a pastry brush for this.
• Pipe a dam with frosting about ¼-1/2 inch from the edge using a piping bag (or ziplock) with the tip snipped away. Fill within the dam with the pineapple whipped cream cheese filling.
• Frost the outside of the cake with a thin layer of whipped cream cheese frosting. At this point I chilled the cake for about 15 minutes in the freezer to firm everything up. Then, I applied the second/final coat of frosting, texturing it with my offset spatula.
• Decorate the cake however you like! I added the remaining pineapple filling to the top center of the cake and piped a large shell border around the top and bottom edge using a 1M piping tip.