Pineapple, Lime and Coconut Cake with Lime Glaze
Cherie Lyden, founder of award-winning Coeliac Australia accredited gluten-free bakery Wholegreen Bakery has created a grain and dairy free celebrate cake with tropical flavours, topped with pineapple and a zesty lime glaze. You’ll need a stand or hand mixer to whisk the eggs and sugar until they are light and fluffy, to ensure your cake has a tender crumb.
Serves 12 - grain free, dairy free
12 eggs (600g), at room temperature
1 ⅓ cups (300g) caster sugar
1 ¼ cups (130g) coconut flour
2 cups (250g) almond meal
2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
2 teaspoons (8g) ground cinnamon
2 ⅓ cups (540g) sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract with seeds
6 tinned pineapple rings, strained and 60ml juice reserved for the glaze
zest and juice of 3 limes
Lime Glaze
Reserved pineapple juice
1 tablespoon caster sugar
2 limes, juiced and finely zested
¼ cup toasted coconut flakes (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 170℃/325℉ (150℃/300℉ fan-forced) with the oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
Grease a 24cm round cake tin and line the sides and base with baking paper.
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk and put to one side.
Using a Smeg stand mixer or in a large bowl with a Smeg hand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy. Slowly add in the oil and vanilla and continue to whisk for 30 seconds more.
Using the paddle attachment on low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients and fold through until mixed in thoroughly. Then add the lime juice and zest from the 3 limes and mix well.
Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake tin and if necessary, smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
Bake for approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, rotating roughly halfway through for even cooking, until the cake is dark golden, a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, or the cake springs back when you press down gently on the top with two fingers.
When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave the cake to cool in the tin until it's slightly warm. Remove the baking paper on the sides and place a serving plate over the top. Carefully invert the tin so the cake slides out onto the plate, peeling away the baking paper on the top of the pineapple.
Make the lime glaze by mixing the juices and sugar together. Heat and when hot, gently pour or brush the syrup over the cake. Garnish with lime zest and serve. If planning on freezing the cake, skip this step and do it once the cake is defrosted and ready to serve.
Storage
The cake stays fresh in an airtight container refrigerated for 5 days, and is also freeze thaw stable for up to 1 month, stored in a cake box or wrapped in plastic film. When ready to use, remove the cake from the freezer and take off the plastic film. Place the frozen cake on a serving plate and slice whilst frozen for perfect slices. Glaze once defrosted. The cake takes approximately 25-30 minutes to defrost.
Photographer: Ben Dearnley
Food styling: Vanessa Austin
