Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Pineapple coconut cakes with pineapple syrup

Pineapple coconut cakes with pineapple syrup / Bolinhos de coco e abacaxi com calda de abacaxi

I heard a song on the radio yesterday that reminded me of my childhood days, when I spent wonderful vacations at my aunt Maisa’s - I used to sing that song while pretending my aunt’s floor polishing machine was a microphone... :) I was 8 back then.

Later on, once I’d started cooking and baking, she’d let me prepare whatever I wanted in her kitchen, savory or sweet – that was so much fun. One of the cakes I used to bake was a simple yellow cake with pineapple slices on the bottom of the pan – everyone loved it. These little cakes reminded me of the one I used to bake at my aunt’s, but are much simpler and equally delicious – the addition of coconut makes them extra special.

Pineapple coconut cakes with pineapple syrup / Bolinhos de coco e abacaxi com calda de abacaxi

Pineapple coconut cakes with pineapple syrup
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Cakes:
65g unsalted butter, softened
75g caster sugar
1 egg
90ml buttermilk
¾ cup + ½ tablespoon (110g) self-rising flour
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened desiccated coconut
¼ cup (25g) sweetened shredded coconut
40g pineapple, finely diced

Pineapple syrup:*
350g pineapple, coarsely chopped
130g caster sugar
3 small limes, juice only
50ml white rum

For pineapple syrup, combine pineapple, sugar, lime juice and ½ cup (120ml) water in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until syrupy. Cool, add rum and strain, discarding solids (or eat them, like I did). :)

Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Butter and flour ten 1/3 cup (80ml) brioche or dariole pans.
Beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, add egg and buttermilk and beat to combine. Stir in flour, the two types of coconut and pineapple, then spoon mixture into prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and a skewer withdraws clean. Turn cakes from moulds, pour over half the syrup and cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature with remaining syrup.

* too much syrup; half of this amount is enough for all the cakes

Makes 10 – I halved the recipe above and got 12 mini cakes (6 using 3 tablespoon capacity star shaped pans + 6 using 1/3 capacity muffin pans)

14 comments:

Manggy said...

Loving the star cupcake shapes. You know I'm an absolute sucker for any pineapple dessert - such an underrated flavor.

Nisa-mom said...

i always love to try your recipes , simple and yet delicious..

Andrea said...

Oh they are so lovely, I would love one with my afternoon coffee.
Photos are wonderful as always,Europe is covered with snow right now and your photos make me feel like it's spring, sunny and warm. :)

Chocolate Shavings said...

Love pineapple in baked goods, especially in star shapes!

Fran said...

They look delicious and adorable, will try them out. Thank you! :)

Emily said...

These are just darling and look fabulous. I want to reach into the screen and try one.

Sophia said...

These are adorable. Where did you get the idea to use star cut outs? I'm going to have to try these soon! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

These turned out beautifully! The combination of coconut and pineapple is so light and refreshing-and it's got me dreaming of the beach now!

Federica Simoni said...

ciao!! deliziose queste stelle!! complimenti!!! ciao!

Chef Fresco said...

You have so many great looking treats on your site! All very nicely photographed as well. These pineapple cakes are so cute!

Kana said...

These would be wonderful with tea!! Do they keep well?

ChichaJo said...

They are adorable! When I was a kid I used to make pineapple upside down cakes a lot...they also had those slices of pineapple at the bottom of the pan :)

Patricia Scarpin said...

Mark, I got these little pans as a gift from a friend, they are so tiny and so adorable! I'm glad you like them!
I couldn't agree with you more - pineapple should shine more among desserts and baked goods.

Fitri, thank you for stopping by!

Andrea, dear, I'm glad my photos can make you feel like summer, at least just a little!
The cold will be coming my way and you'll have lovely, warm days soon.
xx

Jen, thank you! I love pineapple too, I think it should be used more often!

Fran, hope you like the recipe - tks for stopping by!

Emily, thank you for visiting! I'm glad you like the cakes!

Sophia, thank you! I'd gotten the pans as a gift from a lovely friend but hadn't used them yet.

Megan, thank you! Very refreshing indeed! :)

Federica, grazie!

Chef Fresco, thank you for stopping by!

Maya, not for long, because they are drenched in syrup. You can keep them in the fridge but remember to take them out a good while prior to serving them so the texture doesn't get tough.

Joey, thank you! See, one more thing you and I have in common, my dear. ;)

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

These are such cute cakes! Love the shape and love the tropical flavor of pineapple.

Related Posts with Thumbnails