While I don't necessarily see myself as a seasonal baker, with summer being just around the corner, I am catching myself slowly turning more and more to the bright flavours, especially tropical fruit. Pineapple, mango, papaya, guava, dragon fruit… Those can be absolutely majestic in layer cakes and sweet treats of any kind.
And this is a beautiful, sunny, summery cake, just perfect for brunches. Soft vanilla cake layers, rich almond buttercream, and bright and tangy pineapple swirl are just sunshine on a plate.
If chilled very well or even slightly frozen, it will be just like an ice cream cake with a pineapple swirl. Simple, yet absolutely irresistible.
And even though I often advise serving cakes with coffee, this one really shines with lemonade.
Ingredients
For the soft cake layers
180 grams plain flour200 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
45 millilitres neutral oil
240 millilitres carbonated water
For the almond buttercream filling
180 grams vegan block butter, softened200 grams icing sugar, sifted
100 grams toasted almonds, ground
30 millilitres fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the pineapple filling
400 grams fresh pineapple45 millilitres fresh lemon juice
75 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Preparation
Start by making the pineapple filling, as it needs time to cool down. Puree the pineapple completely in a blender, add it to a medium saucepan, and tip in the sugar. Mix together thoroughly and place it over medium heat. Let it slowly come to a boil and as soon as it starts to bubble, start the timer, and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring often.
At that point, check to see if it has reached the setting point, either by dropping a teaspoon of the filling on a chilled plate and seeing if it sets after about a minute, or by inserting a candy thermometer and making sure it has reached around 95-100°C. If not, continue cooking and checking in 2-minute intervals until set. The longer you cook it, the deeper the colour and flavour will get. Once ready, remove it from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let it cool down completely.
You should get around 250 grams of filling.
Next, make the vanilla cake layers. Let the oven preheat to 180°C and line a medium round cake pan (16 cm) with baking paper. Take a medium bowl and sift in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add in the sugar and salt, and mix very well. Finally, add in the carbonated water, oil, vanilla, and vinegar, and whisk until just combined.
There isn't a lot of batter, so it's best to not overmix.
As soon as the batter is ready, pour it into the prepared pan, and bake immediately in a preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 35 minutes or so, checking for doneness early on. As soon as a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove from the oven and let it cool down a bit in the pan.
My cake was done after exactly 36 minutes.
Once everything is cool to the touch, proceed to make the filling.
Place the softened vegan block butter into a large bowl, add in the fresh lemon juice, vanilla, and the almond extract, and whip with an electric mixer on high for about 2-3 minutes, or until lighter in colour and creamy. Scrape down the sides, sift in the icing sugar, and whip for a few minutes more, until it starts to almost resemble whipped cream. Finally, add in the ground almonds and blend until creamy. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes or so.
When everything is cool and ready, proceed to assemble the cake.
Level the cake if needed, and then slice it into three thin layers. Take out about a tablespoon of the pineapple filling and divide the rest into two equal parts. Divide the buttercream into three equal parts by weight.
Place the first cake layer on the serving platter, spread one-third of the buttercream, and then add a layer of the pineapple filling. You can spread it on or insert a piping bag directly into the buttercream and pipe it in like that. Place another cake layer on top, and keep repeating the process until all the cake layers are used up.
Spread the reserved pineapple filling on top of the final cake layer, and use the remaining buttercream to decorate the entire cake. As it is quite firm and not very tall, it can be decorated right after filling.
Place the whole platter into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, and serve as desired. Yields 8 very rich servings.
