Sunday 17 February 2013

Caramalised pineapple and ginger cake





Way back in August 2008 I posted this recipe for a pear and ginger cake.  I will forgive you if you don’t remember it – I only had about 10 readers at the point and most of them were family or friends!  I fancied a simple sponge cake this week, as I didn’t have much time to bake, and decided this one needed revisiting...and tweaking a little.




I used tinned pineapple rings for the fruit  and cut them in half to achieve the same fan effect on the top as the pears.  I’m on a pineapple kick at the moment – can’t get enough of the stuff; I even snaffled the wedge of pineapple from my friend’s cocktail yesterday.  Before you have visions of me robbing her of it, I should point out that she doesn’t like pineapple and offered it freely!



The bonus – which I hadn’t foreseen – is that the sprinkling of dark sugar caramelised the pineapple into a sticky, dark, sweet delight.  Here’s a close up:




Pineapple and ginger is a lovely combination – it has that tropical spicy thing going on.  The sponge isn’t very spicy, it’s not a dark ginger cake, but just carries a kick that cuts through the sweetness of the fruit.




For the first time in months, the sun decided to shine as I took my photos.  I think it emphasises the sunny nature of the cake.  In the photo below you can just about make out the fleks of ginger in the sponge.




Ingredients:

For the cake:
175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g caster sugar
175g self raising flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 eggs

For the topping:
567g tin of pineapple rings (drained weight 340g), drained and cut in half
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar


Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Line a 20cm round springform cake tin.

Start by making the cake: cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the flour, ginger and eggs and beat until well combined and you have a smooth, thick batter.

Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and put to one side.

Arrange the pineapple slices on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took a little longer at 55 minutes.

Serve either warm with ice cream or at room temperature with cream.

Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

Eat.

19 comments:

Nickki said...

What a beautiful cake! Tinned pineapple is great in a sponge. I love the sound of this :-)

Gloria Baker said...

mmmm yummy! I love pineapple and think ginger is wonderful for cakes:)
lovely recipe!

Caroline said...

That does look delicious! It's been far too long since I last had pineapple and paired with ginger sounds perfect too. Yum!

Victory Rolls & Mixing Bowls said...

see I love pineapple too...but im never sure about fruit in cakes...but the idea of it caramelising does indeed sound pretty sexy :) Yay the sun! always makes me love baking even more xx

Debs Dust Bunny said...

My mom used to make a gorgeous pineapple upside-down cake. This sounds delicious. I never would have thought of combining pineapple and ginger but it makes complete sense now that you've showed us how to do it. Luscious!

Kezia said...

That looks stunning! A beautiful cake to celebrate the sun coming out at long last:)

Susie @ Fold in the Flour said...

Looks a lovely cake, and caramelised pineapple is delish. Bet it goes well with the ginger! :)

decocinasytacones said...

Wow, this look really yummy!...
Love
Marialuisa

Maggie said...

Pineapple and ginger are a lovely combination of flavours. I love a cake you can eat as dessert too.

thelittleloaf said...

I love a good upside-down cake. This looks like a lovely fruity addition to February :-)

Ulla said...

I've baked pineapple upside down cake many time, but I haven't made this way ever. I love ginger so I need to try this one. Thanks for sharing!

Cakelaw said...

This looks so good - and you know what really makes the photos is the sunlight shining down on it. Having lived in England for nearly a year in my past, I am glad that you got some winter sunshine.

Lucy said...

This looks so good - the pineapple is so pretty! Love the combination of the tropical pineapple and ginger flavours too, it has definitely inspired me to use more pineapple in baking soon.

Kit @ i-lostinausten said...

Lovely cake & what a wonderful combo! I have not trried pineapple & ginger combo before but this cake looks delicious !

Hello said...

I've never thought of combining ginger with pineapple, but will definitely try this after seeing how lovely your cake has turned out x

Choclette said...

I don't know anyone who makes sponges look as fabulous as you do. Love the flavours and caramalised pineapple, but it is your sponge that is the real thing of beauty.

Hazel - Chicken in a Cherry Sauce said...

I love the sound of that dark and sticky caramelised sugar! I've never had ginger and pineapple before but it sounds fabulous. I must give it a try soon. Great cake!

Jessica Robert said...

So beautiful this cake!

sk said...

I'm assuming one has to cut the pineapple in half for the design to form on top of the cake.