Pineapple Cream Cake
Author Notes: We have many excellent cooks in our family, including Victoria’s beloved grandfather, Edgeworth. He enjoyed cooking for his four children, one of whom was our grandfather and one of whom is our Auntie – the author of many of these recipes. I called Victoria on July 9 some years ago to ask for her dad’s favorite birthday cake. He is our grandfather Bill, whom we still talk about in the present tense. Grandaddy did not eat sweets in later years and I had no recollection of what his dessert favs were. Victoria remembered over the phone that day that his favorite requested birthday cake had pineapple and whipped cream in it, but was definite that it was not any version of pineapple upside down cake. I have Victoria’s mom’s box of handwritten and clipped recipes. The search began and ended there. I pulled out every single recipe and unfolded any clipped ones. On the next to the last slip of paper in the box was a yellowed 4” x 6” ink-scripted recipe in Edgeworth’s unique handwriting. The first line on the page says “Pineapple Cream Cake”. After a quick second phone call, Victoria confirmed this is the birthday cake Bill always requested and enjoyed on his birthday.
This is now a favorite birthday request of Carrie and Helena Capers.
Cake
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup butter unsalted
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup buttermilk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 nine inch cake pans.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and powder.
- Cream butter and sugar for approximately 3 minutes on medium high speed.
- Add egg yolks and vanilla and mix.
- Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternating with buttermilk. Start with flour and end with flour.
- Pour batter into 3 pans and cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn onto cake racks and cool completely. Approximately 40 minutes.
Icing
Ingredients:
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple – unsweetened, drained
Directions:
- Whip cream stiff.
- Put layer of cream on cake, then layer of pineapple.
Options: Add lemon or orange zest to cake and to icing. Reserve pineapple juice and reduce to syrup in a sauce pan – this can be brushed onto cake layers before applying icing or it can be spooned over cake when serving.
I always add about 1/3 cup sugar to cream and about 1 tablespoon vanilla.