The Professional Cinderella

Summer brings all the best things in Australia: Christmas, holidays, and seasonal fruits. As a Far North Queensland girl, I’m always impartial to tropical fruits like mangoes, lychees and pineapples. I’ve made this Pineapple Coconut Cake twice now, and both times I ended up eating way more than I should have because it is just so light and moreish. Perfect for a dessert at any summer gathering.

Pineapple Coconut Cake

Pineapple Curd

250ml/1 cup canned pineapple juice

2 tbsp lemon juice

175g white sugar

1/4 tsp salt

60g cornstarch

4 egg yolks (use whites in the cake)

2 large eggs

57g butter

Cake

2 1/2 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

170g butter, softened to room temperature

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

4 egg whites, at room temperature

120g sour cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

3/4 cup canned coconut milk

2 tbsp pineapple juice

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

225g pineapple chunks

225g full-fat brick of cream cheese

115g softened butter

3 cups icing sugar

2 tbsp coconut milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

Optional for garnish: extra shredded coconut

1. Make the pineapple curd. Place the sugar, salt and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk to remove any lumps in the cornstarch. Pour in the pineapple and lemon juices, whisking again so no lumps remain.
2. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, while stirring occasionally.
3. While the mixture is heating, whisk the eggs and egg yolks in another bowl and set aside.
4. Lower the heat and let the pineapple mix boil for about 3 minutes while whisking. Add spoonfuls of the hot mixture into the whisked eggs, whisking continuously to temper.
5. Once you’ve added enough of the pineapple mix to warm up the egg mixture, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking as you add it.
6. Return the saucepan back to the stove over medium heat, whisking constantly. The curd will start to thicken again, and then come to a boil. Let it cook for a further 3 minutes.
7. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter. whisk until the butter is completely emulsified. Pour into a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Make sure the cling wrap is touching the surface of the curd to avoid a skin forming. Preferably chill overnight before using in the cake.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line three 8 inch cake pans.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside
3. Using a stand mixture, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg whites until combined, then add the sour cream, vanilla and coconut extract. The mixture will look curdled as a result of the varying textures.
4. On low speed, add the dry ingredients, coconut milk and pineapple juice. Mix until just combined. Add the shredded coconut and pineapple chunks, and fold in gently.
5. Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until the cakes are baked through. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans before turning out onto a wire rack. If the tops of the cakes are domed, use a large serrated knife to level the tops.
6. Make the icing by beating the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the icing sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and salt.
7. Build the cake by placing one cake on the cake stand. Top with cream cheese icing, and a generous amount of the cold pineapple curd. Repeat with the next cake, icing and curd, and top with the last cake. Frost the top and outside of the cake. Add the shredded coconut to the top if using.
8. I like to place the cake in the fridge for an hour or so to make it easier to cut.

Heidi xx