Pineapple Cake

USD

8 lbs portion of Yo's Ultimate Vanilla Cake
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Gum Paste
Royal Icing
Icing Sugar
3 ½ lbs Fondant
1 cup Sugar
¼ Cup Pineapple Jam (or more, to taste)
2 cups Unsweetened Pineapple Juice
Lorain Yellow Color Powder
Sunflower Yellow Color Dust
Wilton Goldenrod Color Dust
Wilton Spruce Color Dust
Rose Leaf Color Dust
Ivory Color Dust
Wilton Moss Green Icing Color
Wilton Leaf Green Icing Color
Wilton Lemon Yellow Icing Color
Wilton Golden Yellow Icing Color

Item Name:	Availability:
6 x 6" Round Cake Pans	Add to Cart -
6" Square Cake Pan, lined with parchment paper	Add to Cart -
Rubber Spatula	Add to Cart -
Pot	Add to Cart -
Simple Syrup Squeeze Bottle	Add to Cart - $19.99
Ruler	Add to Cart - $12.99
Serrated Knife	Add to Cart -
Small Serrated Knife	Add to Cart -
Small Straight & Offset Spatula	Add to Cart - $14.99
1 3/4" Round Cutter	Add to Cart - $24.99
5" Round Cake Board	Add to Cart -
Wooden Dowels	Add to Cart -
Paring Knife	Add to Cart -
Fabric Measuring Tape	Add to Cart -
Pineapple Mold	Add to Cart -
Small Fondant Rolling Pin	Add to Cart - $9.99
Calyx Cutter	Add to Cart -
Rolling Pin	Add to Cart -
Paint Brushes	Add to Cart -
Vegetable Shortening
Nonstick Rolling Mat	Add to Cart - $16.99
24 Gauge Wire	Liquid error: Exceeded maximum number of unique handles for all_products.
Vase (or Wine Bottle)
Ribbon

Prepare Cake Batter

Prepare the 8lb portion of Yos Ultimate Vanilla Cake batter, and dye it the colour of ripe pineapple using Wilton Lemon Yellow & Golden Yellow Icing Colors.

Separate Batter

Separate 2lbs of yellow batter, and set aside. Divide the rest of the yellow batter between the six 6 round cake pans. Each round pan should have 1 lb of batter.

Dye the Batter

Take the remaining yellow batter, and darken the colour. This will be the pineapple core! Pour the darker yellow batter into the 6 square pans. Bake all cakes at 350. The round pans take about 1 hour, and the square pan took about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out completely clean. Let cool completely in their pans.

Prepare Simple Syrup

Prepare the simple syrup. Combine the pineapple juice and sugar in the pot and bring to a boil. Let cool, and set aside.

Level Cakes

Remove all of cakes from their pans, and level them so all of cakes are the same height. Remove the caramelization from the bottom of your cakes.

Cut Out Cake Centre

Using a ruler, find the center of your round cakes, and cut out a 1 inch hole from the center using a circle cutter. Cut out a circle from the center of each of the round cakes. Using the same circle cutter, cut out six small rounds of darker yellow cake from your square cake.

Insert Cake Circles

Pop the darker yellow circles into the center of the light yellow cake circles.

Soak Cakes

Soak all cakes with the Pineapple Simple Syrup.

Prepare Buttercream

Prepare the Italian Meringue Buttercream, and mix together 1 cup of buttercream with cup of pineapple jam. Using the same icing colors, match the vibrant yellow cakes.

Stack Cakes

Stack the cakes by spreading a layer of pineapple buttercream on top of the first round cake, and placing a second round cake on top. Continue this process until all six cakes are stacked, and filled with pineapple buttercream. Let chill.

Carve Cake

Round out the top and bottom of your cake with a small serrated knife. Remove all caramelization from the sides while you round.

Crumb Coat and Chill

Mix one more cup of buttercream with the yellow icing colors. Crumb coat, and chill. Ice again, and return to fridge. After the second chill, use wet fingertips to smooth out any ridges.

Dye Fondant

Dye the fondant yellow to match the buttercream and cakes.

Prepare Fondant

Measure the circumference and the height of the pineapple cakes, and roll out the yellow fondant. Use about 1.5 lbs of fondant for this component.

Cover Cake

Wrap the fondant around the cake, and gather it at the top of your cake. Cut away any excess.

Press Fondant into Mold

To get the perfect pineapple skin, I had a custom mold made by Christines Molds. Place 4 oz of fondant into the mould at a time, and press in.

Add Pineapple Skin

Use a small fondant rolling pin to remove from the mould. Place the pineapple skin fondant onto the pineapple, using water to stick it on.

Create Pineapple Spikes

Use a calyx cutter to create those little pineapple spikes that make the texture unique. Mix green gumpaste with a little bit of yellow leftover fondant. Use 1 oz of gumpaste, and 1 oz of yellow fondant.

Roll Out Gumpaste

Roll out the gumpaste/fondant mixture onto a nonstick board with a small fondant rolling pin, and cut off calyx shapes using the cutter.

Add Details to Spikes

Because a calyx has five points, take one petal, and pinch it to make a point. Cut off the two bottom points, leaving a half circle of three points.

Paint Pineapple

This pineapple will be dry painted. Take the green colour dust, and colour the perimeter of the pineapple diamonds. Then paint the inside of each one with yellow. Take a softer yellow and paint the entire pineapple to soften the colour.

Add Spikes

Brush water on the back of the spikes, and add them to the pineapple with the spike pointing up.

Paint Spikes

Repaint the bottom of the spikes with the same green used for the pineapple diamond perimeter. Give the spikes a final paint with a mixture of yellow and ivory.

Create Pineapple Crown

Create the pineapple crown out of green gumpaste. Roll out the gumpaste with a piece of 24 gauge floral wire inside. Cut out two templates made with real pineapple leaves, and cut out the gumpaste leaves with a sharp paring knife. Let dry in a vase or wine bottle so a curve is created.

Prepare Leaves

Make 8 smaller leaves with no wire, and dry around a rolling pin to get some extra roughage.

Paint Leaves

Once dry, paint green on top side of the leaves, and ivory on bottom side. Then add leaves to cake.

Add Leaves to Cake

Press the larger leaves in a circle. To give the leaves a bit more support, take a leftover ball of yellow fondant, and press it inside the circle of leaves. Use royal icing as glue.

Tips!

For a cake this tall, I would usually be using dowels for support, but I really wanted to get a true, big slice without the dowels interrupting. If youre making this at home you should add a cake board in the middle of your cake layers with dowels to support underneath.