Pineapple Sponge Cake #CakesAndDecors

Pineapple Sponge Cake #CakesAndDecors

Baking cake to surpass its flavor by way of adding ingredient like Fresh pineapple caramelized with golden syrup and butter, topped with light sponge, goes perfectly with rum and raisin. Make the ice cream a day ahead of making the cake for stress-free indulgence

Ingredients:

For the rum and raisin ice cream
115g raisins
115ml rum
400ml full-fat milk
8 free-range egg yolks
200g light soft brown sugar
400ml double cream

For the cake
175g golden syrup
325g butter, softened
1 x 1.5kg medium pineapple, peeled, cut into 7x8cm/2.5-3in diameter, 1cm thick cored rings, remainder reserved (about 175g/6oz)
275g caster sugar
5 free-range eggs
275g self-raising flour


Procedures:

(1) For the rum and raisin ice cream, heat the raisins and rum in a small saucepan until just warm.

(2) Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the raisins to plump up.

(3) Place the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

(4) Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until combined.

(5) Whilst whisking continuously, slowly pour the boiling milk onto the egg yolks, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

(6) Stir in the cream, rum and raisins and cook the custard over a low heat, stirring continuously, for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Do not let the mixture boil.

(7) Pour the custard into a bowl and set aside to cool completely. Transfer the custard to an ice cream machine to churn (according to manufacturer's instructions).

(8) Transfer to the freezer and freeze until needed.


For the cake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

(1) Line the sides and bottom of a 26cm/10in cake tin with greaseproof paper, making sure there is no gap for the syrup to leak through. Place onto a shallow baking sheet.

(2) Heat the golden syrup and 50g/2oz of the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat until melted. Pour into the bottom of the cake tin.

(3) Place the pineapple rings on top, pressing 6 around the outside and 1 in the centre.

(4) Finely chop the remaining pineapple and set aside.

(5) Beat the sugar and the remaining butter together in a bowl and until light and fluffy.

(6) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each egg. Fold in the flour.

(7) Stir in the chopped pineapple until well combined.

(8) Spoon the cake mixture over the pineapple rings in the tin and tap to settle the mixture.

(9) Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

(10)Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.

(11) Invert the cake onto a large plate and peel off the greaseproof paper.

(12) Serve slices of the cake with a scoop of rum and raisin ice cream.

Cakes' Storage and Preparation #CakesAndDecors

Cakes' Storage and Preparation #CakesAndDecors

Storage:

Cakes are best stored in airtight tins rather than plastic boxes. Once a cake has been cut, the cut surfaces will start to dry.

Covering them with a piece of aluminium foil minimizes the effect. Undecorated cakes can be frozen for up to three months if tightly wrapped. It's also possible to freeze iced cakes: freeze them unwrapped just until the icing is firm (otherwise it will start to dry out) then carefully wrap the cake in clingfilm, plus an outer layer of aluminium foil. Remember to defrost the cake slowly in the refrigerator to prevent water beads or condensation forming on the surface.

Preparation:

It's essential to accurately weigh and measure cake ingredients and to follow the instructions carefully. The ingredients need to be at the correct temperature before you start. For example, many cake recipes specify soft, chilled or frozen butter, and eggs at room temperature, in order to achieve a specific effect. The shape and dimensions of a tin radically effect the cake's cooking time, so always use the tin size specified in the recipe. Even non-stick cake tins need greasing and lining.

Where caster sugar is specified, coarser granulated sugar or fine icing sugar are not acceptable substitutes as they'll create detrimental effects, such as a speckled finish or failure to hold air bubbles in the batter. Darker sugars such as unrefined molasses sugar or muscovado are great for baking but will give a darker color, deeper flavor and moister texture than caster sugar, so need to be used in their appropriate recipes.

Similarly, with flour, don't try to use strong bread flour in place of plain or self-raising flour because its gluten level is much higher. This will result in an uneven rise and a tough cake. You can, however, substitute plain flour for self-raising by adding sufficient raising agents.