Angel in the tropics
Amanda is a big fan of pineapple (like me, she likes the fresh tropical taste that just explodes on your taste buds).
Since the curd on top is really the star of these cupcakes, I wanted the cake to be simple and light. What better than an angel food cake - and, as you'll see - if you make the cake and the curd at once, there'll be no wasting of any egg parts.
I had seen something like this in a magazine a bunch of years ago, but had never tried it. When the kids were young, they wanted chocolate cake or some variation on a chocolate cake. Now, they are more sophisticated and I can be more daring in my cakeology experiments.
Since the curd on top is really the star of these cupcakes, I wanted the cake to be simple and light. What better than an angel food cake - and, as you'll see - if you make the cake and the curd at once, there'll be no wasting of any egg parts.
I had seen something like this in a magazine a bunch of years ago, but had never tried it. When the kids were young, they wanted chocolate cake or some variation on a chocolate cake. Now, they are more sophisticated and I can be more daring in my cakeology experiments.
Angel Food Cake with Pineapple Curd
For the Cake
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
- 7 egg whites
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
- For The Curd
- 7 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt
- 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple juice (right from the pineapple is best!)
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- •Preheat the oven to 350º.
- •Whisk together the flour and the nutmeg in a bowl and set aside.
- •Put the egg whites and the sugar into a bowl and beat on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat on high speed until the mixture is stiff and glossy and has tripled in volume.
- •Transfer the fluffy mixture to a large bowl and fold in the flour mixture a third at a time.
- •Spoon the batter into plastic bag and snip off a corner of the bag. •Squeeze batter into 6 large cupcake tins.
- •Bake until the cakes are golden and cakes spring back when touched, about 30 minutes.
- •Let them cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack. Gently loosen cakes with a thin knife and pop them out. Let them cool completely.
- •For the curd: Whisk the egg yolks, the sugar, and the salt in a large heatproof bowl until it's all smooth. Whisk in the pineapple juice and the lemon juice.
- •Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Keep whisking until it's thick.
- •Remove the bowl from the heat and beat in butter pieces until it's smooth.
- •Cover with plastic, pressing it onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
- •Refrigerate the curd for at least an hour (up to overnight).
- •Pour the curd over the cakes and top them with some fresh pineapple pieces.
- Vegetarian.
