Fresh Pineapple Spelt Cake with a Pineapple Glaze (lower fat and sugar)

This fresh pineapple spelt cake was first published in May 2016 on my original blog, The Culinary Jumble. The recipe has been altered slightly and the images are new. 

As regular readers know, I had a blog before this one, called the Culinary Jumble. When I began using spelt more often in baking, and realizing there was no real discernible difference between regular flour and spelt flour, I decided to niche down a little and focus on baking with spelt. And the new blog was born.

I am slowly moving my recipes over from The Culinary Jumble and adapting them to use spelt flour. All recipes are tried and tested with the flour I originally made the recipes with, plus spelt. This means that for most of my recipes, spelt, regular or a gluten free blended flour can be used interchangeably. 

This time, the makeover is this fresh pineapple spelt cake. The original recipe had chia seeds, but this time, I had some poppy seeds I wanted to use up. The pineapple this time was fresh, but you could easily used tinned. I also chose coconut sugar, but you could use any sugar you like.

Using pineapple gives the cake a slight tang. The Greek yoghurt emphasises this. It also helps keep the fat content down, while adding moisture. The pineapple is evident, but it isn’t over-powering.

Greek yoghurt in cakes:

The cake is low fat and sugar, but this changes a little if you add my pineapple frosting (which is of course, optional). Due to less sugar and fat, the cake is slightly denser than regular cake. I also find that using Greek yoghurt also changes the texture of cakes. It’s still beautifully delicious, but it’s good to be aware so that you are not disappointed when your sponge is not the pound cake texture you were perhaps expecting. 

If you like this recipe, why not check out the other spelt cakes I have in my collection?

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Fresh Pineapple Spelt Cake with a Pineapple Frosting (lower fat and sugar)

Ingredients

Cake:

• 50g (¼ cup) sugar (see note 1)
• 30g (2 tbsp) butter (softened)
• 2 medium eggs
• 100g (½ cup) pineapple (see note 2)
• 50ml (3 tbsp + 2 tsp) vegetable oil
• 50g (¼ cup) Greek yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
• 200g (1½ cups) flour (see note 3)
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate (baking soda)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Glaze:

• 50g (1¾ oz) pineapple
• icing sugar (as much as needed)

Instructions

Cake:

• Pre-heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease your desired pan (I have used both a 9 x 5 loaf tin and 1 liter bundt).
• If using fresh or sliced pineapple, blitz it in a food processor until it is crushed. Remove and set aside.
• Using either a food processor or whisk, cream the butter and sugar, and then add in the eggs, one at a time.
• Add the crushed pineapple, pineapple juice, oil and yoghurt and continue to whisk until smooth.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla sugar, and poppy seeds together and then add to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
• Pour into the prepared tin and bake for around 30-40 minutes (depending on which pan you use) until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Start checking from about 30 minutes, and if using a bundt tin, you may need to cover the top to prevent it browning too much.
• Leave in the tin for a while, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Glaze:

• Crush your pineapple (if it's not already done) and add just as much icing sugar as needed to create a glaze. You will have lovely thick bits of pineapple, which looks so pretty! Slather it over your cake and enjoy!

Notes

 

1. I have used both brown and coconut sugar to make this cake (the images show a cake made with coconut sugar). However, you could also use granulated sugar.
2. I used fresh pineapple in my cake, but have used tinned in the past. If your pineapple isn't crushed already, you will need to do this for both the cake and the frosting.
3. I've used both a gluten free blend and spelt flour to make this cake. You could also use regular flour. You don't need to amend the measurements, just use the amounts stated.

 

Disclaimer:

I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made the recipe with imperial measurements.

In addition, many ingredients are different in Europe compared to North America. I do all I can to offer possible alternatives and to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone. However, results cannot always be guaranteed if you have not used the same ingredients, measurements or methods as me.

Lastly, I do everything I can to ensure that my recipes (and instructions) are accurate and easy to follow. However, I am human, and don't always get it right. If you notice anything strange, a mistake, or even a typo, please let me know in the comments.