It’s springtime in Australia and one of my most favourite things about this time of the year, besides the weather getting warmer, is the tropical fruit in abundance. Strawberries are packing our supermarket shelves. Passionfruit vines are busting and pineapples are everywhere at really cheap prices. I know you can still buy most of these things at any time of the year (usually imported from overseas) but there’s nothing like buying fresh, seasonal fruit when it’s at it’s peak.
I was at my usual fruit and vegetable market on my regular fortnightly visit when 6 pineapples were available for $2. I grabbed them and put them all to good use. There was freshly cut pineapple chunks for school lunches, pineapple and ice cream for dessert, pineapple muffins, grated pineapple frozen for ice blocks and this Pineapple Coconut Slice.
I took my inspiration from the Aussie classic Coconut Jam Slice recipe (a recipe I’ve just realised I haven’t shared on my blog but have made many times) that’s in all our cookbooks. The shortbread crust topped with jam and topped with a coconut macaroon-type topping and baked to a golden brown.
I grated one small pineapple (you could substitute with a small can of crushed pineapple) and added 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch which had been blended in a little water. I boiled it on the stove top until it had come to a jam-like consistency and allowed to cool.
Prebake the shortcrust base until golden brown.
Then add the cooled pineapple mixture.
Top with the crumbled coconut macaroon-like topping and bake until golden brown. These recipe froze really well too. Another delicious way to enjoy this season’s pineapples. Can’t wait until we’re in the full swing of mango and stone fruit season, which is just around the corner.
Pineapple Coconut Slice
(based on Coconut Jam Slice from here)
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 125gm butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups coconut
- 1 small pineapple, grated (or 1 small can crushed pineapple)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbs cornflour, blended with a little water
- Preheat oven to 170 deg C.
- Combine flour and 1/2 cup sugar.
- Melt butter and add 1 beaten egg and vanilla, then add to flour mixture.
- Press dough into a slice pan (approx 24x30cm) and bake until golden brown.
- While baking, add grated (or crushed) pineapple to a small pan and heat.
- Add 1/4 cup sugar and blended cornflour and stir until thicken. Allow to cool.
- Spread pineapple mixture on top of baked pastry.
- Beat remaining 2 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar then add coconut.
- Spread over pineapple mixture and bake until golden brown (approx 20 mins).
Hi Anne, wow your cake looks so good and I bet it was yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us. Take care and enjoy the week.
Julie
What a lovely recipe Anne, looking forward to using it.
Barb
It is far too hot to grow pineapples here of course. As you know they are a subtropical fruit and require cold temperatures at night or even a frost in order to produce a fruit. It has been tried down in Katherine, but that was not successful either. For the home gardener or small market garden a shock can be generated to produce a fruit by using a special fertiliser. Would you fancy doing that for every single pineapple plant? Prickly job.
That slice looks delicious and I will try your recipe with a can of crushed pineapple.
yes please, oh man I want some right now!
YUM two of my favorites, coconut and pineapple. I'm loving this one as well.
Guess i did not do this right, was just asking about cornflour, not sure i have ever heard of this and just wondered what it is !! thanks a bunch, hugs and love.
Looks delicious! Thank you for sharing this with us at last week's Teach Me Tuesday Linky Party! We hope to see you there again tonight starting @ 9pm est:)