Pineapple pastry cake/ Pineapple fresh cream pastry (Cooker cake and Butterless)

Yes, you heard it right! This is Pineapple pastry recipe with cake made in cooker. How good is that? Pineapple fresh cream pastry or simply Pineapple pastry as it is called, is a spongy, juicy pineapple flavored delightful dessert which is light, cool and delicious!

I had not planned to bake for a few days after all the festival desserts we hogged. But yesterday, my little niece visited to see my little one. I was surprised when the little girl asked me if I can make a cake for her since she has seen my blog posts. She firmly believed that I can make any cake of her choice! Before I could ask her what cake she wants me to do, she said "Akka, prepare pineapple pastry. Like the one mamma bought for my birthday".  Now, I was very happy to see that she loved my posts but was also reluctant to let her know that I am not a cake expert. My pride kicked in and I took this one as a challenge.

Making basic sponge cake is actually a cake walk for me because I make it very often. But I had never tried the pastry. So, I promised that pretty little angel that her pineapple pastry will be ready by evening and I set to work quickly. I browsed through a lot of websites and was very confused since there were so many versions. I could sketch the recipe in my mind so I started going through the ingredients I needed. I had everything except canned Pineapple. The fresh cream I had bought the previous day was half used for the Malai Matar I prepared for dinner.

Being a health freak, weight conscious and beauty conscious, I eat Pineapple, Papaya and Guava almost everyday. Luckily, there was also a bottle of Pineapple squash we had bought at the start of the summer. So I thought of replacing canned pineapple pieces with the fresh ones and canned juice with water and squash.I got the batter ready and I check the oven if it is hot enough and guess what? The power is gone! the oven is not even warm. I was so engrossed in making batter that I completely forgot to check the oven.

There is no way I can keep the egg batter waiting for more than an hour. So, I made the cake in cooker and I could use my whisk attachment of my blender to whip the cream.The cake tasted best the next day and I am planning to make Black forest cake for our anniversary. If time permits, I will also take pictures to post.
Anyway, all of us loved the cake even though the sponge would have been much better if it was made in oven. It was way less heavy than the store bought ones and I was glad that my little niece M loved it.

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	189		Calories
Fat	4.2		%
Carbohydrates	35.2		%
Dietary Fiber	0.5		%
Sodium	28.1		mg
Vitamin A	4.1		%
Vitamin C	7.1		%
Calcium	1.9		%
Iron	4.7		%
Protein	3.5		Grams
Sugar	26.7		Grams

Ingredients
Eggs	4
Powdered sugar	3/4 cup
Pineapple essence	1 teaspoon
Plain flour/Maida	1 cup
Baking powder	1 teaspoon
Salt	a pinch
Milk	1/2 cup
Canned pineapple pieces/fresh pineapple chopped	1 cup
Juice from the can of pineapple/ pineapple squash	1 cup
Whipping cream	1 cup
Icing sugar	1/4 cup
Chocolate shavings	1/2 cup

 Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Whisk egg yolks for a minute and add Pineapple essence and powdered sugar. Whisk them together till creamy. Clean the whisk completely to dry and then whisk the egg whites. It may take about 6 to 7 minutes till it reaches stiff peaks. Now, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the yolk mixture.

Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture till it is mixed well. Grease a vessel in which you can bake the cake. Now, In the cooker, place the place that comes with the cooker. Remove whistle and the gasket from the cooker lid. Close the cooker and heat it for 3 minutes under high flame. Now, pour the batter in the greased vessel and place the vessel in the cooker carefully using a vessel grip.
Close the lid of the cooker and let it bake for about 30 minutes in medium high flame. After 30 minutes, simmer the flame and bake for another 5 minutes and remove from flame. 

Insert a toothpick inside the cake to check if the cake is cooked completely. If not, bake for 10 more minutes. Let the cake cool in the vessel for 10 minutes and then remove the cake and let it cool on the rack till it is completely cooled. Meanwhile, whisk the chilled heavy cream till it has soft peaks. Add the icing sugar and then whisk again till it gets hard peaks. Keep it in refrigerator until use.
Cut the cake horizontally into 2 equal parts using a serrated knife. In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of squash (if using) with 2 parts chilled water.

In a bowl, mix pineapple pieces with 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream and set it in the fridge. On a plate, place 3 pieces of parchment which can be removed easily after frosting the cake. Place the bottom half of the cake on it. Sprinkle the pineapple juice on it only to soak the cake but not enough to make the cake soggy. Spread the pineapple-cream mixture on the cake evenly.

Now, sprinkle the juice on the top half of the cake placed upside down. Place the top part on the bottom part of the cake. Spread the left over whipped cream on the cake covering the sides and the top. Decorate as per your wish. Serve chilled.

* Make sure to bake the cake quickly after making the batter since the airiness will reduce if the batter is kept waiting.
* Making a detailed post of whipping the cream would have been made this a very lengthy post. so I have made it as short as I can. I will try and post it next time.
* You can add cherries for the filling as well as the decoration.
* Apologies for the clumsy pictures. I was in a hurry to finish this before our UPS switches off.
* This cake tastes best the next day with all the juice soaked up by the sponge. So, plan and make it the day before you are going to serve.