This Pineapple and Strawberry Layer Cake is filled with Pineapple Curd and Strawberry Jam. Frosted with Swiss Meringue Buttercream. And you couldn't have asked for a more delicious cake!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cake
Prep Time 3 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 4 hourshours
Servings 10slices
Calories 400kcal
Ingredients
Cake
1/2cupunsalted butter softened4 oz
3/4cupgranulated sugar
2large eggs room temperature
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1 3/4cupall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/4teaspoonsalt
1/2cuppineapple juice
1/4cupwhole milk
Pineapple curd
1/2cuppineapple juice
1/2cupgranulated sugar
1/2cupunsalted butter at room temperature
4large eggs
1/2teaspoonsalt
2teaspoonslemon zestthe lemon zest will help enhance the tanginess of the pineapple curd, this is optional
Strawberry Jam Filling
16ozstrawberries rinsedstems removed and cut in half
1/4cupsugaror maple syrup
1lemon juiced
3tablespoonswater
1tablespooncornstarch plus 2 tablespoons cold water
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
4egg whites
1cupsugar 200g
24tablespoonsunsalted butter cold
2teaspoonsvanilla
Instructions
Cake
Grease and flour 4 6” cake pans, or 2 8” cake pans.
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2 minutes, on medium speed. Gradually add sugar and cream for 3 minutes until mixture is fluffy and lighter in color.
Add eggs to the mixture, one at a time, mixing on medium speed. Scrape bowl and add vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
Combine pineapple juice and milk together.
Add half of the pineapple juice and milk mixture to butter/egg/sugar mixture. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add half of sifted flour mixture. Mix on low for 30-45 seconds until almost entirely incorporated.
Add remaining liquid and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add remaining flour and mix on low until incorporated.
Divide batter evenly between your cake pans.
Bake on pre-heated oven for about 20-25 minutes. Smaller cake pans will take less time to bake.
Remove cake from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean once inserted in the cake.
Let cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes and flip it over in a wire rack to let it cool completely before proceeding with frosting and filling.
Pineapple Curd
Cream butter at medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer. Slowly add sugar to butter and keep creaming at medium speed for a few minutes, until mixture is light in color and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, waiting until egg has been completely incorporated before adding the next one.
Add salt. And finally, add pineapple juice, lemon zest (if using) and stir on low speed.
Pour mixture in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat, while stirring nonstop.
You are looking for a very thick and creamy curd. Don’t stop stirring, don’t look away.
The temperature of the curd should be reaching 170F.
When that happens, remove from heat and pour into a heat proof bowl.
Let it cool in the fridge. The curd will be fine for 3 days in your fridge.
Strawberry Jam Filling
Place strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until strawberries are soft and you can mash them with a fork, wooden spoon or a potato masher. Mash them up and keep cooking for a little bit longer. Taste for sugar, if it’s not sweet to your taste, add a little bit more sugar. Be aware that sometimes you’ll have a batch of very sweet berries or very tart berries, and the amount of sugar you add will depend on that. So make sure to taste your jam.
Once strawberries are mashed, mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. When cornstarch is dissolved, add solution to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, until it boils and jam thickens.
Transfer jam to a container, cover and refrigerate for a few hours before using.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Right before you start to make your buttercream, remove butter from the fridge. Cut it into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside.
Place egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl or in a double boiler pan.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Set bowl on top of the pan with simmering water.
Whisk constantly until egg whites and sugar reach 138F temperature. This ensures that the egg whites will have reached a safe temperature. The temperature of pasteurized egg whites is actually 140F, however, if you bring it up to 138F, the temperature will raise a couple degrees even after you take it out of the heat source.
Keep whisking mixture for about 30 seconds after you take it off the heat.
Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Be sure to wipe dry the bottom of the bowl to get rid of the condensation that formed before you transfer mixture. Because if a drop of water gets in contact with your egg white/sugar, it will ruin your meringue.
With the whisk attachment, beat meringue on medium-high speed.
You are going to beat the meringue until stiff peaks form. Now, this might take a while. Usually takes me about 10 minutes. The reason for that is that the egg whites have to cool down first and then they will be able to reach stiff peak.
Just let the mixer do its job and cool down the meringue as it whisks it.
Once your meringue has reached stiff peaks, start adding butter, with the mixer on medium-high speed.
Add one slab of butter at a time. Waiting a few seconds before adding the next one.
This should take you a while. Get there slowly.
At times, you will question yourself if your meringue will ever form, the answer is mostly likely: yes it will form. Just be patient. Keep whisking it.
Add vanilla once you’re done adding the butter.
At this point, you should see your meringue having hardened up and formed into a smooth cream.
How to assemble
If you have baked 4 6" layers of cake, place one layer on top of a cake plate. Then pipe a ring of frosting on the edges of the cake layer. Fill it with pineapple curd, then place another layer on top, pipe a ring of frosting around the edges of the cake, and fill it with strawberry jam. Next, place another layer of cake on top, pipe a ring of frosting around the edges of the cake, spread some pineapple curd inside. Finally top with the last cake layer. Frost the cake. Leave it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before serving.
So, if you’re going to do 2 layers of 8″ cake, you can slice the cakes in half lengthwise and end up with 4 layers. Then, repeat the procedure above on how to fill the cake.
Storage
Cake will store in the fridge nicely for up to 5 days.