Passionfruit and almond cake with honey-roasted pineapple
SERVES 8-10 // PREP TIME 30 MINS // COOK 45 MINS (PLUS COOLING) “Look out for local passionfruit growers or ask your neighbours,” says Waddell. “At Frida’s we use incredible passionfruit from Terania Creek.”
160 gm butter
70 ml olive oil
400 gm caster sugar
6 eggs
110 gm passionfruit pulp (from about 6 passionfruit)
400 gm almond meal
100 gm fine polenta
100 gm gluten-free plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pouring cream and extra passionfruit pulp, to serve
HONEY-ROASTED PINEAPPLE
1 pineapple (about 2kg), peeled,
quartered lengthways, core removed 200 gm honey
1 cinnamon quill
1 star anise
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 Preheat oven to 160°C. Melt butter and olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat (2-3 minutes). Cool completely. 2 Grease a 22cm round springform tin and line the base and sides with baking paper. Place sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on high speed until pale and fluffy. Gradually add butter mixture and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low, add passionfruit followed by almond meal, polenta, flour and baking powder and beat until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth top. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 150°C and bake for a further 20 minutes until cooked. Remove from oven and stand in tin on a wire rack to cool completely. Invert onto a chopping board when cooled.
3 Meanwhile, for roasted pineapple, place honey, spices and vanilla bean and seeds in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat and cook, swirling in pan until honey begins to caramelise (5-6 minutes). Add pineapple to pan and cook spooning over caramel until pineapple is caramelised (10-12 minutes). The juices from the pineapple will keep caramel runny. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, then cut pineapple into thick slices.
4 To serve, place cake on a cake stand or platter, top with pineapple, drizzle over honey caramel and extra passionfruit pulp and cream to the side. Serve warm or at room temperature.