Coconut Pineapple Bavarois Cake
A soft, velvety, and richly fragrant cake featuring a layer of pineapple cream custard sandwiched between coconut sponge layers, garnished with toasted coconut flakes.
Ingredients
unsalted butter (extra for greasing the pan)
60 g
eggs
4
vanilla extract
1 tsp
caster sugar (for the cake)
135 g
plain flour (extra for dusting the pan)
125 g
desiccated coconut (for the cake)
30 g
pineapple
1 (1.15-1.4 kg)
lime juice
1
brown sugar
150 g
gelatine powder
2 tbsp
double cream
500 ml
eggs (for the bavarois)
2
egg yolks
2
caster sugar (for the bavarois)
50 g
desiccated coconut (for garnish)
30 g
apricot jam
150 g
candied lime slices (for garnish)
to taste
Instructions
1
Bake the Coconut Sponge
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a cake pan, line it with baking parchment, grease again, then add 2-3 tbsp of flour, tilt to coat evenly and tip out the excess. Melt the butter and leave it to cool until lukewarm. Sift the flour together with the salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, then add the vanilla extract and sugar; continue beating on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is pale and thick. Sift in one-third of the flour and fold into the egg mixture, then add the remaining flour in three batches along with the melted butter and desiccated coconut, folding until just combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan, gently tap the pan to level the surface, and bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Leave the cake to cool a bit, invert onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment, and leave to cool completely.
2
Prepare the Pineapple
Slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple, then cut away the skin following the curve of the fruit. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, remove the core, and then cut into small pieces. Combine the lime juice, brown sugar and 125 ml of water and heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has fully dissolved; once it boils for 1 minute, add the pineapple pieces, cover and cook until the pineapple is soft enough to be pierced with a fork, about 8-10 minutes. Strain and reserve the syrup, you will need about 125 ml. Set aside 8-10 pineapple pieces for garnish, then blend the rest in a food processor to a purée, you will need about 375 ml.
3
Prepare a Springform Pan Base
Once the cake is completely cold, use the base of a 23 cm springform pan as a guide to cut the cake to the same size as the pan, then use a serrated knife to slice it horizontally into two large layers. Cut a piece of cardboard into a 23 cm circle, place it inside the greased base of the springform pan, then lay in one layer of cake with the cut side facing up.
4
Prepare the Bavarois
Sprinkle the gelatine powder evenly over the pineapple syrup; after 5 minutes the gelatine will have softened into a semi-jelly. Pour the double cream into a chilled glass bowl and whip with an electric mixer until thickened, then return to the fridge. Place the eggs, egg yolks, caster sugar and pineapple purée in a saucepan and whisk together, then heat until just boiling. Pour into a large bowl and whisk until pale, then leave to cool to lukewarm, about 5-7 minutes. Melt the gelatine over very low heat (about 1-2 minutes, do not stir), then stir it into the pineapple mixture. Set the bowl over a basin of iced water and continue to stir with a spatula until the mixture thickens. Quickly fold in the whipped cream.
5
Assemble and Decorate the Cake
Spoon half of the pineapple bavarois over the cake base in the pan and smooth it out, then place the second cake layer on top with the cut side down and press down gently. Spread the remaining pineapple bavarois over the top of the cake, give the pan a gentle shake to level the surface, cover and chill for at least 2 hours until set. Preheat the oven to 190°C, spread the desiccated coconut evenly over a baking tray and toast for about 5 minutes, then leave to cool. For the apricot glaze: heat the apricot jam with 2-3 tbsp of water until dissolved, then pass through a sieve to remove any lumps and heat again until smooth. Remove the cake from the fridge, release the pan base and take the cake off. Stand the cake on a raised surface and brush the apricot glaze around the sides. Gradually press the toasted desiccated coconut onto the glazed sides. Arrange the reserved pineapple pieces in a line down the centre of the cake, sprinkle coconut on either side and, if liked, arrange the candied lime slices on top.
