A taste of Mozambique.

My friend Elsa swept through my kitchen like a whirlwind to create a beautiful pineapple cake quite like she would make back home in Mozambique (she would have preferred fresh pineapple, also I set the oven too hot unfortunately, so the caramel was a little darker than intended). But it was truly delicious with a lovely texture! Elsa Licumba has started a catering business in Newcastle NSW if anyone is interested in a special event with an African flavour elsalicumba@gmail.com 0413538959, Anne.

Elsa’s Pineapple Cake.

1 X 225g can Golden Circle Pineapple Slices, 2 cups sugar, 100g butter, 4 eggs, 3 tspns vanilla essence (or optionally 1 tspn of cinnamon), 2 cups plain flour, 4 tspns baking powder.

Have butter and pineapple at room temperature.

Melt 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Swill around a warmed 20cm cake tin until evenly coated with caramel. Line the base of the cake tin with pineapple rings and let the tin cool.

Cream butter and one cup of sugar with an electric beater. Mix in eggs and vanilla essence. Add plain flour and baking powder. Mix well. Make sure this mixture is not too runny, but if it is too thick add a little pineapple syrup. Pour the mix into the cake tin on top of the pineapple and place in an oven preheated to 180°C for 45-50 minutes. Don’t open the door for at least the first 20 minutes of cooking.