Tropical Chocolate Pineapple Cake
Chocolate and pineapple are 2 flavors you don't see together very often, and we have no idea why that is. The rich, sweet flavor of chocolate compliments the pineapple's tangy, tropical taste in ways you wouldn't believe! In honor of this underutilized duo, we've come up with a recipe for an incredibly rich chocolate cake, absolutely stuffed with pineapple cheesecake cream and fresh pineapples. But the best part isn't even this cake's taste! Adorable meringue domes and candied lime peels come together to look just like a mini pineapples sitting on top of the cake, making this dessert look just as amazing as it tastes! From its unique, delicious flavor right down to its gorgeous presentation, this chocolate cake with pineapple cheesecake cream is a tropical dream of a dessert.
Equipment
- Loaf Pan
- Piping bag
- Culinary Torch
- Tall glasses
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites for the meringue domes
- 1/3 cup water for the simple syrup
- 1 1/4 cups sugar for the simple syrup
- yellow food coloring for the meringue domes
- 1 pinch salt for the meringue domes
- 3 limes for the candied lime peels
- 1 1/4 cups sugar for the candied lime peels
- 3/4 cup water for the candied lime peels
- 1 pinch salt for the candied lime peels
- 5 eggs for the chocolate cake
- 1 3/4 cups flour for the chocolate cake
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder for the chocolate cake
- 3/4 cup sugar for the chocolate cake
- 1 pinch salt for the chocolate cake
- 2 tsp baking powder for the chocolate cake
- 1/2 pineapple chopped & boiled, for the pineapple cheesecake cream
- 2 cups cream cheese for the pineapple cheesecake cream
- 2 eggs for the pineapple cheesecake cream
- 3/4 cup heavy cream whipped, for the pineapple cheesecake cream
- 1/3 cup sugar for the pineapple cheesecake cream
- 2 limes halved, for extra
- 1/2 pineapple sliced, for extra
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150°F. Beat the egg whites together with a pinch of salt. To make the simple syrup, heat the water and sugar to 250°F in a saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Slowly pour the simple syrup into the egg whites and stir everything together until the meringue cools down to room temperature. Stir in a few drops of yellow food coloring and transfer the meringue to a piping bag.
- Thoroughly wash and cut 2 limes in half, then place 3 of the halves face down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Pipe small dots of the meringue onto the outside of the limes until they're completely covered. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the meringue domes at 150°F for 6 hours.
- Remove the skin from the 3 limes, slice them, heat them in a saucepan along with the sugar and water, and let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a loaf pan. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites along with a pinch of salt until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks along with the sugar until frothy. Stir together the cocoa powder, flour, and baking powder, then carefully fold the mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan, then insert 3 tall glasses directly into the batter. Transfer the loaf pan to the oven and bake the cake at 325°F for 45 minutes.
- Remove the skin from the pineapple and cut it in half. Chop half of the pineapple and cook it in boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer the cooked pineapple to a blender and puree it. Cut the remainder of the pineapple into semicircular slices and set them aside for later.
- Separate the egg whites and egg yolks. Beat the egg yolks together with 2 tablespoons of sugar until frothy, then stir in the pineapple puree. Beat the egg whites together with a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff. Whip the heavy cream along with 2 tablespoons of sugar until light and fluffy. Carefully fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Once combined, blend the egg mixture, whipped cream, and cream cheese in a blender until combined. Transfer the pineapple cheesecake cream to the refrigerator and chill until it's ready to be used.
- Once the chocolate cake is done baking, take it out of the oven and remove the tall glasses, then take the chocolate cake out of the loaf pan. Fill each of the 3 holes in the chocolate cake with 2 slices of pineapple and pineapple cheesecake cream.
- Remove the lime halves from under the meringue domes and fill the domes with pineapple cheesecake cream. Place the filled meringue domes on top of the cream-filled holes in the chocolate cake. Skewer several of the candied lime peels with toothpicks and stick them into the top of meringue domes. Use a culinary torch to lightly toast the outside of the meringue domes.
