This is a delicious morning or afternoon tea cake and a staple at the Cornersmith cafe. We love it because it uses the whole fruit and extracts as much flavour as possible from the pineapple’s flesh, core and skin. You can also just use pineapple cores if you have an excess left over from another recipe—char them on a grill to intensify their flavour and sweetness before you purée them. Feel free to experiment with this recipe using oranges, lemons or other fruit purées.
Serving Size
Serves 8
WHAT YOU NEED
1 pineapple
1½ cups (150 g) almond meal
2¾ cups (250 g) desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs
250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Toasted coconut flakes, to serve
Natural or Greek yoghurt, to serve
WHAT TO DO
Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas mark 2–3) and line a 30 cm (12 inch) loaf (bar) tin with baking paper.
Cut the skin off the pineapple and set aside, then cut the flesh and core into small cubes and blitz them in a food processor until smooth. You’ll need 400 g (14 oz) of pineapple purée for the batter.
Whisk together the almond meal, desiccated coconut and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy (or you can do this in a large bowl with a hand whisk). Add the pineapple purée to the egg mixture and whisk for another minute. Slowly add the dry ingredients in batches, whisking well after each addition. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Meanwhile use the pineapple skin to make the pineapple skin syrup on page 79.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve straight away or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Serve warm or toasted with the pineapple skin syrup, toasted coconut and yoghurt.
COMMENTS