Sophie Faldo

Why it earned the handshake

This is a deceptively sunny cake: fresh pineapple can flood a batter, and coconut can make a crumb feel heavy if it is handled carelessly. Sophie’s published recipe solves both problems with the kind of practical restraint that reads beautifully on a plate. The pineapple is drained and patted dry before it goes into the sponge; a few thin slices are dried separately into a sculptural flower; and the cake is finished with coconut-flavored Italian meringue buttercream rather than a bluntly sweet frosting.

The judging moment focused on the things a good sandwich cake must get right: a neat build, a lovely texture, and pineapple flavor that actually arrives. Contemporary accounts of the tasting preserve Paul’s enthusiasm for the pineapple coming through strongly, while Mary Berry praised the sponge and the silky Italian meringue buttercream. That combination—freshness, precision, and a finish with real technique—is the lore of this handshake. It is not a cake that shouts. It makes the judges take another bite.

Ingredients

Sponge

• 100g fresh coconut chunks
• 1 pineapple, topped, tailed, and peeled
• 170g cake margarine, or softened unsalted butter
• 225g superfine/caster sugar
• 5 large eggs, beaten
• 240g self-rising flour

Italian meringue buttercream and decoration

• 300g superfine/caster sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• Coconut flavoring, to taste
• 30ml toasted coconut flakes

You will also need parchment, two round cake pans, a muffin pan for shaping the pineapple flower, and a sugar thermometer.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease and line two round cake pans. Trim the brown husk from the coconut and pulse the flesh in a food processor until it resembles small gravel, not paste.
2. Cut three thin discs from the bottom of the pineapple and set them aside for the flower. Chop the remaining fruit, removing the core. Drain and pat dry 150g for the batter; reserve 50g for the finish.
3. Beat the margarine or butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs gradually, beating well after each addition. Add a spoonful of the flour with each of the last three additions to help keep the batter smooth.
4. Fold in the remaining sifted flour, followed by the chopped coconut and drained pineapple. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 25–30 minutes, until risen, golden, and cleanly springy when tested. Cool in the pans for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.
5. Lower the oven to 140°C/120°C fan. Lay the three pineapple discs on a parchment-lined sheet. Bake for 15–20 minutes, turn them, and continue until leathery, flexible, and edged with gold. Press each disc into a muffin-pan cavity and bake for about 20 minutes more, until dry enough to hold a curve. Cool in the pan, then stack the pieces into a flower.
6. For the buttercream, put the sugar and 90ml water in a saucepan. Warm gently until the sugar dissolves, then boil until the syrup reaches 121°C. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running, pour in the hot syrup in a thin, steady stream. Whisk until the meringue is thick, glossy, and back to room temperature.
7. Add the softened butter a little at a time, whisking until smooth before adding more. Flavor with coconut flavoring to taste. Cover and chill until firm enough to pipe.
8. Put one sponge top-side down on a cake stand. Pipe half the buttercream into generous kisses, leaving enough for the top. Add the second sponge top-side up and pipe the remaining buttercream. Center the pineapple flower on top and finish with the reserved pineapple pieces and toasted coconut.

Baker’s tips

• Drying the pineapple is not busywork. It keeps the fruit from watering out the batter and lets the pineapple taste, rather than its juice, lead.
• If your coconut is already shredded, use it only as a practical substitute; the source recipe’s fresh coconut chunks give the sponge its particular, toothsome texture.
• Italian meringue buttercream can look curdled when the butter goes in. Keep whisking; if the bowl is warm, pause briefly and continue once the mixture has cooled.
• Make sure the syrup reaches 121°C. A thermometer turns a high-drama step into a repeatable one.

Make-ahead

Bake the sponges one day ahead, cool completely, wrap well, and keep at room temperature. The pineapple flower can be made a day ahead and stored airtight once fully dry. Make the buttercream up to two days ahead and refrigerate; bring it toward room temperature and re-whip before piping. Assemble the cake the day it will be served for the freshest pineapple and the cleanest buttercream.