A Pineapple Birthday Cake

Hi.

I’m sure everyone loves cake with pretty decoration.  I love to stand in front of the cake shop looking at those beautiful frosted cakes.  Many years ago, I asked myself when would I be able to make these beautiful cakes…  

This is my 2^nd cream cake that I have made so far.  But it's my 1^st time making it for someone outside my family.

This cake is specially made for a friend whom I have known for over 2 decades.  Great friends are hard to find.  I’ll always make an effort to maintain friendships. 

The very 1^st cream cake I made was Durian Fresh Cream Cake and the creaming was horrible.  To master the piping technique is not an overnight thing.  It really requires a lot of practices and I still have a long way to go…

I wasn’t confident how the cake would turn out to be.  I’m prepared if it turn out to be not presentable, I’ll keep it for my own consumption and I think my family would be happy to have it.

The dried pineapple flowers which are something that I didn’t expect it to turn out so pretty.   I got the idea from MarthaStewart.  These flowers make a very unique and eye-catching cake garnish.  That’s reason why I decided to go for it.  The baking of pineapple took a lot longer than what I was expected.  In order to speed up the drying process, slice the pineapple as thinly as possible and bake it slowly at low temperature.  

This is a 2 layered 8” cake.  The sponge cake is not from a new recipe.  It’s my usual Plain Sponge Cake recipe.  I have used up about 1½ fresh pineapple for this cake.  A whole pineapple was used to make dried pineapple flowers.  As I wanted the cream to taste fruity therefore I blended the other half pineapple and mix them with the whipped cream.  

As I didn’t have a chance to have a piece of the cake, I just hope that it won’t taste too odd to have such combination. 

This is a wonderful cake and I felt so accomplishing!

INGREDIENTS

• A 8” Sponge Cake
• 1½ nos. Fresh Pineapple
• 250ml Non-dairy whipping cream
• 1 can Rambutan stuff with pineapple.

METHOD

1.  Select 7-8 nos. of nice looking rambutan stuff with pineapple.  Set aside.

2.  For the balance, remove the pineapple and slice the rambutan into small pieces.  Set aside.

3.  Cut the other ½ fresh pineapples into the small pieces.  Remember to remove the cord.  Put the small pieces of pineapple into the blender and blend it until smooth.  Set aside.

4.  Whip the whipping cream till stiff with electric mixer. Fold in the whipped cream with the blended pineapple.

5.  Slice the cake horizontally into 2 layers.  Spread pineapple whipped cream on the surface of the first layer of the cake.  Arrange the sliced rambutan on it and top up with the pineapple whipped cream until it covers the rambutan.  Place the other layer of cake on top of it.

6.  Spread a thick layer of the balance pineapple whipped cream on the whole cake.  But set aside some for piping the border.

7.  Stick the dried pineapple flowers around the cake and pipe the border.

8.  Last step.  Place the selected rambutan which stuff with pineapple on top of the cake and that completes the decoration.

9.  Keep the cake in the refrigerator before it is served.