Pineapple Pastry

This is what makes me feel so glad to be a part of the food blogging community. You saw the cake yesterday. I baked it on the morning of my parents' anniversary, hoping to turn into a traditional pineapple pastry they like.

Then I panicked. I know that the bakeries use a whipped cream topping, but I also knew that the 25% cream we get in India won't whip. So I put in an SOS mail to Deeba. And she called me back within minutes with ideas to incorporate more fat in the cream. With all her tips and hints, I finally have a pineapple pastry I like.

So if you are struggling with 25% Amul cream like me, here's what you do.

Tip No. 1 : Get rid of the whey. When you pour out the cream from the carton, you will get thick cream and some whey. Just pour the whey out.

Tip No. 2 : Chill, chill, chill. Before you start whipping your cream, put the bowl of cream in the freezer for 10 minutes. I also left the whipping blades of my hand mixer in the freezer for the same time.

Tip No. 3 : You need more fat in your cream. Melt 2 tbsp of unsalted butter with 2 tbsp of cream - I used 10 second pulses in my microwave until it was just melted. Then let it cool. If you are wondering where to buy the unsalted butter, that's a whole new story altogether.

Once your melted butter has cooled to room temperature, bring the cream out of the freezer. To my 200 ml cream, I added 1 tbsp powdered sugar. Beat on high until the cream starts to increase in volume. Then, with the mixer on, pour in the melted butter. Whip on high until the cream holds soft peaks. Put it back in the fridge for 5 minutes or so.

I had my cake already cut into equal sized bars so I spread whipped cream on one of the bars. Then I added a layer of chopped pineapple, the second cake layer and topped it all with another layer of cream. The whipped cream even held enough for me to pipe a lopsided border around the pastry. Top with a pineapple slice and, if you like, a candied cherry or a dollop of jam.