Exotic passion cake
Tropical fruit and passion-fruit curd make this an extra-special alternative to carrot cake.
Serves 10 • Prep 20 mins
• Cook 40 mins, plus making pineapple flowers the day before
1 small pineapple, peeled and the
eyes removed
250g unsalted butter
200g golden caster sugar
1 ripe banana, mashed
4 medium eggs
350g self-raising flour
½tsp baking powder
100g roasted, chopped hazelnuts,
whizzed in a processors to a crumb
260g tin pineapple chunks in juice
For the filling:
250g mascarpone
200ml whipping cream
3tsp vanilla extract
125g passion-fruit curd
You will need:
12-hole non-stick cupcake tray
3 x 20cm sandwich tins, greased
and the base lined
1 The day before making the cake, create the pineapple flowers. Heat the oven to 120C Fan/Gas 1. Cut 12 rounds of pineapple as thinly as possible, using a mandolin if you have one. Lay the slices on kitchen paper, blotting dry, then arrange on a lined baking tray. Bake for 45 mins-1 hr, turning halfway through cooking time.
Once the pineapple feels dry, but is still malleable, press into the holes of
