A tropical cake perfect for a birthday party. Contains nuts.
Pineapple Jelly Ingredients:
Gelatin (bloomed in 60ml of water) – 10g
Whole pineapple rings from a can – 7
Pineapple juice (from the can)- 200ml
Lemon juice – 1tbsp
Yellow gel food colouring – on the tip of a knife
Arrowroot ground – 1tbsp (or 8g)
Glace cherries – 7
Pineapple Jelly Instructions:
Prepare the mould by covering the base of a 23cm tin with clingfilm. Then make the jelly in 2 batches – you will need double the ingredients listed above.
Dissolve the bloomed gelatin by microwaving for 5 seconds. Combine the pineapple juice with the lemon juice and food colouring. Stir the arrowroot into a little bit of this mixture, then combine with the rest of the liquid. Transfer to a pan on the hob, bring to boil stirring constantly, and immediately take off the heat. Allow to cool down to about 60 C and add in the dissolved gelatin. Add in the chopped pineapple, and pour into the setting mould. Set in the freezer.
Now cover the base of a 25cm tin with clingfilm.
Lay out the pineapple rings in this mould.
Repeat the above instructions. But do not add in any chopped pineapple. Instead pour the jelly liquid over the pineapple rings. Then add in the glace cherries into the centres of the pineapple rings. Set in the freezer.
Hummingbird Cake Ingredients:
Here is the original recipe from 1978. I have made a few changes to accommodate more modern tastes and ingredients.
Self raising flour – 150g
Baking powder – 1/8tsp
Sugar – 25g
Cinnamon – 1/2tsp
Eggs – 1
Vegetable oil – 100g
Vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
Pineapple rings – 75g (about 2 rings)
Banana – 130g
Pecans (chopped) – 40g
Walnuts (chopped) – 40g
Hummingbird Cake Instructions:
Preheat oven to 170 C Fan.
Sift the flour, sugar and cinnamon together, put to one side. Mix the egg and vegetable oil, and out to one side. Mush the banana and pineapple rings in a blender, and put to one side.
Add the dry flour mix to the egg and oil mix. Stir gently until well mixed. Add in the banana and pineapple puree. Then fold in the pecans and walnuts.
Bake in a 23cm tin for 30 minutes.
Leave to cool in tin, then turn out, wrap in clingfilm and put into the fridge overnight. Cut into 2 even layers before using.
Cream Cheese Mousse Ingredients:
Powder gelatin (bloomed in 45ml of water) – 8g
Double cream (cold) – 240ml Icing sugar – 2 tbsp
Cream cheese (room temperature) – 200g
Cream Cheese Mousse Instructions:
Whisk the cold double cream until increased in size but not stiff. Add in the icing sugar.
In a separate bowl whisk the cream cheese. Melt the gelatin in the microwave in short bursts of 10 seconds, being careful not to overheat. Add this into the cream cheese and whisk again. Then fold in the whipped cream.
Cake Assembly Instructions:
Using the larger cake tin at 25cm, line the bottom and the sides with clingfilm. Then assemble the cake upside-down in this tin.
The layers are as follows:
- Cream cheese mousse
- Chopped pineapple jelly
- Cream cheese mousse
- Hummingbird cake
Put this in the freezer for a few hours until set. To remove out of the tin, flip the cake the right side up and use a hairdryer to release the edges of the cake tin. Once out of the mould, place the ringed pineapple and cherry jelly layer on top. Thaw completely before serving.
