Preheat oven to 160°c fan bake and line or butter and flour two round 20cm baking tins. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in one egg at a time. When eggs have been incorporated, beat in sour cream until smooth.
Sift in flour, baking soda and salt and fold through. Finally add pineapple (Reserving ½ a cup of juice for the syrup) and coconut and mix until well combined.
Evenly pour batter between the two prepared baking tins and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins.
When cakes have cooled, remove from baking tins and slightly trim tops if necessary. Mix together syrup ingredients and brush over top of both cake layers to give added flavour and moisture.
To make the buttercream, beat the butter for 5 minutes, scraping sides occasionally. Sift icing sugar and add to the butter in two stages, beating for another 3 minutes between additions. Beating at a slower speed, add the coconut cream and extract, then turn mixer speed back up and beat for another few minutes.
Pipe or cover a single layer of cake with coconut buttercream, before placing the second cake layer on top and repeating with another layer of buttercream. Top with desiccated coconut if desired, slice and enjoy this tropical escape.