Gluten Free Pineapple Cake
This incredibly light layer cake is perfectly flavored with freeze dried pineapple, and filled with fresh whipped cream and more pineapple!
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 500kcal
Equipment
- Two 10-inch spring form pans
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the cake layers:
- 10 large eggs
- 1 1/2 Cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1/2 Cup plus 1 Tbsp sweet rice flour
- 3/4 Cup tapioca starch
- 3 Tbsp powdered freeze dried pineapple
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup water
- 6 Tbsp canola oil
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
For the construction:
- 5 Cups heavy cream
- 6 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 2 Cans sliced pineapple
- 12-15 maraschino cherries
Instructions
- First, make the cake layers! Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, beat all of the eggs with an electric mixer on med-low speed for 10 minutes - seems like a long time but just keep mixing! The eggs will get thicker and syrupy. Then, slowly add in the sugar while still beating - 2 Tbsp at a time, until all of the sugar is added. Then in a separate medium bowl, sift together all of the flours, starches, powdered freeze dried pineapples (blitz up freeze dried pineapple until it's dust), baking powder, and salt. Then scoop 1/2 cup of the dry mixture into the egg bowl and fold in. Continue folding in the flour mix until it's all been added. Finally, add the water, vanilla, and oil and fold in until smooth and fully combined.
- Pour 1/2 of the batter into each of the 10-inch spring form pans (do not grease, you'll need to cool the cake upside down. Shimmy on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles, then bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Turn cakes upside down and cool on a cooling rack or standing up on a few cans for 30 minutes only, then turn back right side up and let sit until completely cool. To remove cakes, run a butter knife around the edge of the inside of the pan, release the pan side, then use the same butter knife to release the cake from the bottom of the pan.
- While cakes are cooling, make the whipped cream. Whisk cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
- To construct cake, carefully slice each cake into two layers, plate the bottom later, then brush the cake with some of the juice from the canned pineapple, then add a layer of whipped cream, then slice the sliced pineapple from one can and add 15-20 small pieces of pineapple, then cover with more whipped cream. Add another cake layer, then repeat the pineapple juice, cream, pineapple, and cream until the final cake layer is added. Finally, brush more pineapple juice on the top layer, and then frost the entire cake with the extra whipped cream, adding piped whipped cream as an optional decoration.
- Final step! Add the maraschino cherries and extra sliced pineapple - I recommend patting cherries and pineapple dry on paper towels before placing on the top of the cake. Then let rest in the fridge for 2-4 hours before serving!