Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 150g sugar
- 180g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 20g sweetened desiccated coconut
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 135g brown sugar
- 60g unsalted butter
- 5-6 slices tinned or fresh pineapple rings
For the fruit base
- 80ml vegetable oil
- 180ml buttermilk
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 175°C.
2) Place a 9-inch ovenproof pan on a burner on medium heat. Melt the
butter and brown sugar, stirring until melted and bubbling. Stir in the
lemon juice, then remove the pan from the heat. Arrange the pineapple
slices in this syrup so they are close together but not overlapping. Set
aside.
3) In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. In a
separate bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda
and nutmeg. Add this to the buttermilk mixture and whisk until just
blended. Stir in coconut. Pour the batter over the pineapple slowly (so
as not to shift the fruit). Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester
inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. If using fresh
pineapple, the cake may need an extra 5-10 minutes baking time. Let
the cake cool for 30 minutes in the pan. Place a serving plate over the
cake and invert the pan, lifting it to reveal the pineapple now on top.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
