INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 small (900g) pineapple
5 limes, zest and juice (to get 200ml juice)
1 1/6 cups brown sugar
160g butter, diced + extra for greasing
2 tsp quatre epices (optional)
3 large eggs
1½ cups (225g) self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
Thick cream or yoghurt, to serve
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the base.
2. Peel the pineapple, removing any dark ‘eyes’. Slice into 1.5cm slices (you will need around 7) and remove core from each slice. Lay over sugar in the base of the tin with one in the centre and the others around the edge. If there is any excess, cut it up and neatly fill the gaps. See note below.
3. Stir ¼ cup of the lime juice into ½ cup brown sugar and set aside.
4. Cream together the butter, remaining brown sugar and spices with an electric mixer. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the remaining lime juice. Add the eggs, flour, baking powder, coconut and lime zest.
5. Spread the cake batter carefully over the pineapple. Bake for 40–50 minutes or until the top is browned and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the top is brown, but the inside is not cooked, cover with foil and cook for a little longer.
6. When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and put the whole cake tin on a wire rack. Pour over the lime juice and sugar mixture and stand for 10–15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a flat plate and serve warm
or at room temp with cream or yoghurt.
Lyndey’s note: You can buy a terrific little gadget that cores the pineapple and removes the skin slice by slice. Available from specialist kitchenware shops – it looks just like a pineapple! This cake can look good baked in a square tin. In that case cut peeled pineapple into quarters, then remove core. Cut into long thin wedges. Halve if too long and arrange the slices over the sugar in the tin in groups of four, alternating direction.