This three-part cake celebrates tropical flavours, a nod to our Pacific neighbours. Buttercream is a real indulgence so I've offset it somewhat with a healthier butter-free cake. The curd can also be made dairy-free.


Curd:

400 g fresh pineapple or a can pineapple in juice

1/4 c / 4 Tbsp butter or non-dairy spread

1/4 c cornflour

1/4 c coconut cream or milk

1-3 Tbsp sugar, optional

few drops yellow food colouring


Make the curd first. Blitz the pineapple in a blender until smooth.

Melt the butter on a low heat in a small pot. Add cornflour and whisk for a minute until smooth. Add the pineapple and coconut cream/milk. Bring to almost simmer and keep whisking until thickened. Taste and add some sugar if you wish. Finally add a few drops of food colouring to create a pineapple shade.

Strain into a bowl and cover the skin with cling film. Place in fridge to chill. Any pineapple pulp can be used in a smoothie.


Cake:

2 eggs

3/4 c olive oil

1 c Greek yoghurt

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 c honey

1/2 c granulated sweetener (I used coconut sugar)

1 3/4 c flour (I used spelt)

3 tsp baking powder

1 c desiccated coconut

1 tsp coconut essence, optional (I didn't have any)


Preheat oven to 150C. Line and grease a 20 cm round cake tin.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs. Add the oil, yoghurt, lemon juice, honey and sweetener and whisk until combined.

Fold in the flour, baking powder and coconut until just combined. Pour into your cake tin.

Bake for around 50-60 minutes until cooked through. Let cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

When cake is cooled, cut in half horizontally. Level the top of your cake if necessary.


Coconut buttercream

200 g butter, softened

3 cups icing sugar

1/2 c coconut cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt


1 c shredded coconut, lightly toasted


Mix the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Slowly add the cream, then vanilla and salt. 


Place the bottom half of the cake on a serving plate. Spread with a thick layer of buttercream then pineapple curd on top. Put the other cake on top. Spread a thin crumb coat of buttercream on the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate for half an hour.

Once the crumb coat has set you can spread the final layer of buttercream all over the cake and coat in toasted shredded coconut. Return to the fridge to set.