Bolo de abacaxi

Name: Bolo de abacaxi
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Brazil
Ingredients: 6 slices fresh pineapple, cut into 1cm-thick rounds, cored (or use 1 tin of pineapple slices in juice, drained); 80 g butter; 100 g light brown sugar (for the caramel base); 200 g plain flour; 200 g white sugar; 3 large eggs; 120 ml coconut milk (full-fat); 60 ml neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower); 60 g desiccated coconut (unsweetened); 2 tsp baking powder; 0.5 tsp salt; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp light rum (optional, but adds characteristic Brazilian depth)

Brazil's celebration cake: a golden upside-down pineapple and coconut cake where caramelised fruit rings sink into a cloud of coconut-scented batter and emerge inverted in a glossy amber crown: the cake every Brazilian grandmother makes for birthdays, christenings, and Sunday lunch

Origin: Brazil

From the journey of Pineapple.

Brazil is the world's second largest pineapple producer (after Indonesia) and has one of the deepest culinary relationships with the fruit of any country; appropriate, as Brazil's Atlantic coastal forests were one of the original homelands of the wild pineapple. The bolo de abacaxi (pineapple cake) is Brazil's most beloved fruit cake: appearing at birthday parties, christenings, first communions, and Sunday family lunches from the Amazon north to Rio Grande do Sul. The upside-down preparation: caramelised pineapple rings arranged on the bottom of the cake tin, covered with batter, baked, and inverted, draws from the same European tradition as the American pineapple upside-down cake, but the Brazilian version is distinctly different: coconut milk and desiccated coconut are incorporated into the batter, reflecting the Afro-Brazilian culinary tradition of the coast and Northeast; vanilla and a hint of rum are common flavourings; the texture is lighter and more moist than the American version. The bolo de abacaxi com coco (pineapple and coconut cake) is considered a particular expression of Brazilian national identity: a preparation that draws from the indigenous fruit, the Portuguese baking tradition, and the African coconut tradition into a single, unified thing.

Ingredients

Pineapple topping

6 slices fresh pineapple, cut into 1cm-thick rounds, cored (or use 1 tin of pineapple slices in juice, drained)

Caramel

80 g butter
100 g light brown sugar (for the caramel base)

Batter

200 g plain flour
200 g white sugar
3 large eggs
120 ml coconut milk (full-fat)
60 ml neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower)
60 g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

Raising agent

2 tsp baking powder

Seasoning

0.5 tsp salt

Flavour

1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional

1 tbsp light rum (optional, but adds characteristic Brazilian depth)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C / 350°F). Make the caramel base: melt the butter and brown sugar together in a 24–26cm round cake tin (that can go on the hob) or in a separate pan, then pour into the tin. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and golden amber; 2–3 minutes. Spread to coat the bottom of the tin.
Arrange the pineapple rounds over the caramel base in a single layer. If using pineapple slices, place one in the centre and arrange the remaining around it. If using fresh pineapple rounds, trim them to fit. Pat the pineapple dry first to prevent excess moisture interfering with the caramel.
Make the batter: beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and slightly thickened; 2–3 minutes. Add the oil, coconut milk, and vanilla (and rum if using) and beat until combined.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently until just combined. Fold in the desiccated coconut. Do not overmix; a few streaks of flour are fine; overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake dense.
Pour the batter gently over the pineapple in the tin; pour from the centre and let it spread out naturally to avoid disturbing the pineapple arrangement. Smooth the top.
Bake for 35–45 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the batter (not the pineapple) comes out clean. The cake will have pulled away from the sides of the tin slightly.
Allow to cool in the tin for exactly 10 minutes; no more. Run a knife around the edge. Place a plate or board upside-down over the tin. In one confident motion, flip the tin and plate together. Leave for 30 seconds, then lift the tin away. Any caramel that stays in the tin can be scraped out and spooned over the pineapple.
Serve warm or at room temperature. In the Brazilian tradition, the bolo de abacaxi is served without cream or sauce: the caramelised pineapple provides all the richness needed. A strong cafezinho (Brazilian espresso) is the traditional accompaniment.

Notes

Brazil produces approximately 2.7 million tonnes of pineapple annually; the vast majority consumed domestically. The most important producing states are Pará, Minas Gerais, and Paraíba. The dominant variety is the 'Pérola' (Pearl): a smaller, sweeter, less acidic pineapple than the Smooth Cayenne that dominates international trade, with a pale yellow interior that is ideal for fresh eating and baking. The Pérola pineapple is rarely seen outside Brazil; its domestic centrality means that Brazilian pineapple-based recipes reflect its specific character, sweetness over acidity, tenderness over firmness, which differs from what most of the world buys as 'pineapple'.

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