Pineapple cake with fresh cream icing

The summers are gone and so are the mangoes; but the craving for a nice fresh fruit cake is still as unbeaten! So what better option than the good old pineapple.

I was asked to bake a birthday cake for a little boy who is not a big fan of chocolate. Instead of going the vanilla way, I decided to throw in some pineapple essence and fresh pineapple that resulted into this simple yet beautiful cake.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons plain flour (250 gm)

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4th cup oil (125 gm)

• 1/4th cup butter (40 gm)

• 1 cup powdered sugar (200 gm)

• 3 eggs

• 2 teaspoons pineapple flavour

For the frosting -

• 200 ml heavy whipping cream

• 5-6 tablespoons icing sugar

• Assembly -

• 3 slices of pineapple

• water

• 1 spoon sugar

Method:

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

2. Lightly whisk eggs and keep aside

3. Mix together dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and soda

4. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients into the butter mix alternating with eggs. 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

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.

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

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

2. 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.

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

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

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

6. Frost the sides and top using rest of the frosting. Pipe 6-8 rosettes on top.

7. Use triangular pineapple slices to decorate