Pineapple Cake + Video!

Folks, my oven has seen a lot of baking this lockdown. Some were recipes that I had booked marked eons ago and it felt like the lockdown was the perfect time to try them out. Then there were recipes that were born out of sheer necessity. Well, a few weeks ago I posted the video for pineapple sheera if you have been following my journey. I had used up half the can of pineapples for that recipe and had the other half was languishing in the fridge. I decided to use it up in another batch of sheera initially but nobody wanted to eat any during the same week so I had to think of a better way to repurpose it and pineapple cake it was! I decided tweak a couple of my existing cake recipes – I always draw up a comparison ‘chart’ where I list out the ingredients and quantities and fit in a new ingredient by reducing something else. I decided to shoot a video as well as I love to do that these days. I thought that if the recipe flopped I could trash the video clips but to my surprise it did not. I was really happy with the outcome as the cake was soft & moist thanks to the oil used instead of butter and had a mild flavour & aroma of pineapples – nothing too overpowering.

This cake was lapped up by my family and polished off on the same day. It made for a lovely tea time accompaniment for me, minus the tea of course. I enjoyed it with some herbal tea that I make so often these days. The flavours of ginger & other spices in my tea matched so well with the mild flavour of pineapple in the cake. A feast for the senses, truly!

Can I make this cake with butter instead of oil?

I did not try this recipe with butter as I actually ran out of it the day I was making it so quickly substituted the recipe with oil and it worked out fine. If you want to use butter, I would recommend using 1/2 a cup of it, softened at room temperature. The batter will be less runny than how it was for me (see video)

I don’t have any canned pineapples, can I use fresh ones?

Ofcourse you can! Make sure you use very sweet and ripe pineapple chunks. They will lend a better flavour & texture to the cake. Flavour, because the aroma & taste will be intense and texture because ripe pineapples will be softer and easier to puree than raw, pale and harder ones.

Can I use store bought pineapple juice?

Yes, you can. Just make sure you use unsweetened juice. If you are using packaged juice that already has sugar in it then the cake may become too sweet – unless that’s what you prefer anyway.

Is there an eggless option for this cake?

I knew you’d ask this as I often get question. While I always prefer baking with eggs I do understand that for many of you, your diets may restrict the consumption of eggs.  You could try using yogurt or mashed bananas or agar agar mixed in water or even applesauce in the place of eggs. I would recommend you to use those egg substitutes that won’t change the colour of this cake as some substitutes like chia seeds or flaxseeds could give you a darker/speckled cake.

Egg substitutes for 1 egg:

1/4 cup mashed bananas

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons water + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon agar agar + 1 tablespoon water (mix & use immediately)

1 tablespoon flaxseed powder + 3 tablespoons water (whisk & use)

1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water (mix and let it sit for 12-15 minutes)

1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk

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Do check out the video of how to make this!! I hope you enjoy it!</p>

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Pineapple Cake

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

A deliciously moist & fluffy cake made from crushed pineapples. Makes for a perfect tea time or anytime treat!

Course: Cakes

Keyword: Cake, Pineapple

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Shireen Sequeira

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour (maida)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup oil (any odourless vegetable oil will do)
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) caster or fine granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pineapple or vanilla essence/extract
• 1/3 cup pineapple chunks fresh or canned
• 1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice * see notes

Instructions

1. Grind the pineapple chunks to a paste and keep aside. If you are using canned pineapple, reserve the juice in which the pineapples were canned. We will use this into the recipe.
2. Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan with butter and line it with baking parchment (baking paper). You can also grease the pan and dust it with flour if you don't have baking parchment.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt 2-3 times. Keep aside. This ensures that the cake turns out light and airy.
4. In a bowl, add the oil & sugar and beat it for a minute till the sugar blends it. It is OK if it does not dissolve into the oil completely
5. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat between each addition.
6. Add the sifted flour in parts and gently fold until it has been incorporated.
7. Add the pineapple puree and fold in. Add the pineapple or vanilla essence and fold in.
8. Now add the reserved pineapple juice. By now the batter will be loose/thin. But this is OK.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 35-45 minutes or till the skewer inserted comes out clean. See notes

10. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before inverting the cake on it. Peel off the baking parchment and allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.
11. Serve along with tea or coffee or enjoy it on its own.

Recipe Notes

1. If you are using canned pineapples stewed in its own juice then reserve this. If you are using canned pineapples stored in sugar syrup you may need to reduce the amount of sugar used in the recipe slightly. If you are using fresh pineapple you can extract some juice and use it.
2. If you do not have additional pineapple juice to be used, you can replace it with milk but the cake may not have an intense flavour of pineapple.
3. If you wish you can also add finely chopped bits of pineapple over and above the pineapple puree

4. The baking time for this cake may vary according to the type of oven used. Fan forced ovens take between 35-45 minutes to bake this cake. Regular ovens (not fan forced) or OTGs or Microwaves with Convections could bake the cake in 45-50 minutes or even 1 hour, so please do the skewer test and increase or decrease the baking time accordingly.

5. Updated to add: This recipe may not work for those who use other modes of baking such as baking in a kadai/wok over a low flame on the gas stove or bake using the pressure cooker method. I do not know the baking time for this.