Bizcocho Dominicano - Dominican Cake

Recipe:

Batter:

½ cup butter (113 g)

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes

1 cup all purpose flour

¼ tsp of grated lime peel (You can also use lemon peel)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup orange juice
Pineapple filling:
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into cubes (about half of pineapple fruit)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
Meringue:
2 egg whites at room temperature for 30 minutes
1 cup sugar
3 tbls water


To prepare the filling, mix pineapple, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Cook covered on a low temperature for about 30 minutes or until the pineapple is tender and the water has evaporated and it has a marmalade consistency.


Beat together the butter and the sugar with electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one by one. Add lime peel and vanilla. Gradually add flour and orange juice.


Cover the cake pan with aluminum foil and grease it with oil. Pour in the pineapple filling and gently disturb it evenly to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter over it. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. By the end of the baking time start preparing the meringue.


In a small saucepan melt together ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Bring to boil and simmer over low temperature until you get thick syrup. In a bowl mix egg whites with electric mixer until it forms peaks. Gradually add ½ cup sugar and mix well until smooth. Very slowly pour the syrup in while mixing at high speed. Mix for few more minutes until the mixture cools down a little bit. Set aside.


When cake is cool, turn it on a cake plate, upside down. Gently peel the aluminum foil off the cake. Spread the meringue on top of the cake and decorate with thin slices of fresh pineapple.

This cake is best served fresh so I am usually making only half measure which is the recipe above. If you are preparing this cake for a birthday party you may double the amount by simply doube each ingredient. In that case you will bake two layers of cake, put pineapple in each. When you will be assembling the cake,  fruit side of the first layer should be on top, than spread the cream and  put second layer of cake with fruit side down, so that you have pineapple parts in the middle of the cake. Cover the cake with the cream and decorate it by your skills and taste.