Strawberry and Pineapple Cake:

I took this cake to dinner at a friend’s place. I wanted my friend to cut it so couldn’t take any pictures of the cake slices. We were too busy hogging it up at her place to think about a picture!! The recipe for the basic cake is the same as the one for Black Forest Cake , but without the cocoa powder.

You will need:

For the Cake: (Makes two 9” thin cakes)

2 cups All purpose flour

1 ¾ Cups Confectioner’s sugar (Powdered Sugar)

6 Eggs

2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Filling and Frosting:

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

½ cup Confectioner’s sugar

1 Cup Pineapple chunks

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

For the syrup:

1 tbsp lime juice

½ tbsp Sugar

½ cup Water

Preheat oven to 300F.

Separate the white from the yolks. Beat each separately adding vanilla extract and little sugar at a time to make a stiff froth. Fold yellow into white. Sift flour and baking powder thrice and fold into the egg mixture.

FOLD: Means to slowly turn dry ingredients into the wet in a circular inward to outward motion. Do not beat or mix vigorously. The main purpose of folding is to allow more air into the mixture and also to avoid flattening the frothy eggs.

Pour mixture into two greased 9” pans. This mixture makes a thin cake, if you want a thicker cake, then use 8” pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes till cake is done and springs back on touch or a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the cake.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then on the cooling rack.

Chill the beater blades and the bowl in which you will use to whip the cream. Whip cream while slowly adding sugar to a spreadable consistency. Do not overbeat, it turns to butter!

Mix lime juice, sugar and water in a bowl. Stir till sugar dissolves. Place one cake over a cake pedestal or plate, poke holes with a fork in a few places on the cake. Pour the syrup all over the cake in a spoon, till cake is moist (but not soggy). Spread an even layer of the cream on the cake.

Place pineapple chunks and sliced strawberries.

Place the other cake on top of this and repeat the moistening procedure. Spread an even thick layer of cream, decorate with remaining pineapple chunks and strawberries.

Chill before serving.