Eggless Pineapple birthday cake

Pineapple cakes seem to be the new birthday favourite this month as I received 3 requests to make pineapple cakes for birthdays. I loved making both these cakes and though both were decorated very differently, the sponge cake inside was exactly the same. Since I wanted to perfect my eggless recipe, I tried it 3 times and have noted down the successful version here.

This is a 2 layer cake, 7 inchx2 - but can also be made into 4 thinner layers by horizontally cutting the layers, for people who love more icing between the layers or into one 9 inch cake if you do not want the layers.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups plain flour

• 1 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4th cup milk (180ml)

• 1/4th cup melted butter or oil (60 ml)

• 1 cup powdered sugar (200 gm)

• 2 teaspoons pineapple flavour

• 0.5 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the frosting -

• 200 ml heavy whipping cream

• 5-6 tablespoons icing sugar

• Pineapple essence

For pineapple filling and assembly -

• 3 slices of pineapple

• water

• 1 spoon sugar

Method:

1. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon in milk and let it stand for 10 mins. This will make buttermilk, you can also substitute this with 1 part plain curd/yogurt and 2 parts water

2. Sift together dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, soda and salt

3. Cream sugar, butter/oil in a bowl at medium speed until it is pale and light

4. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients into the butter mix alternating with buttermilk. Finish with pineapple essence.

5. Divide the batter into two 7 inch tins, lined with baking paper

6. Bake for 24-27 mins at 180 degrees

7. Leave to cool on a wire rack

Whipped Cream frosting

1. Use a chilled bowl to whip the cream till soft peaks form

2. Gradually add icing sugar and continue to whip till it reaches piping consistency.

3. For assembly, you could use either canned pineapples or fresh ones.

4. If using canned pineapples, reserve the syrup. Cut the slices in 8-12 small triangles and rest into smaller chunks.

5. If using fresh pineapple, cut 8-12 triangles and a cut about half a cup of small chunks. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat half a cup of water, add 1 spoon sugar and add the pineapple triangles and chunks to this. Cook for 5 mins. Add some more water if required, we do not want to caramelize the pineapples, just want to cook them to slightly soft (not mushy). Remove from flame and reserve the syrup in a separate bowl.

6. Cut off the domes from the cakes to get two flat cake layers.

7. Brush the pineapple syrup from can or made above on each of the layers, drizzling additional syrup on the edges

8. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of frosting on the first layer, sprinkle the pineapple chunks evenly and sandwich the two layers together.

9. Frost the sides and top using rest of the frosting. Pipe rosettes or other patterns as desired.

10. Use triangular pineapple slices to decorate