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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.

Comments

even I had gone thru that phase,it is quite difficult to whip amul cream....so I m stick to readily available whipped cream powders which are easy 2 handle..
I know its quite difficult to get unsalted butter in bombay that easily..
forgot to mention love this cake very much..looks absolutely yummy
Anonymous said…
25% cream? that must be so frustrating for you. Well done on the creative solution!
CurryLeaf said…
What u r saying is true. I always refrigerate my amul and then pour out the whey. Bur I have not used the butter melted in with cream. No wonder some of my frosting attempts have become duds. Looks Great.Thanks for the hearty and practical tip.Will surely try next time.
Veggie Hut said…
My sis in India always complaining about running cream frosting.. I will tell her about these tips.. thanks for sharing!
Simplyfood said…
This pastry looks delicious and so mouthwatering.
Deeba PAB said…
Super yum, and whipped cream never looked better Simran. Glad it worked for you. Do remember to chill the carton overnight, kept straight, in the fridge, then pour the watery whey out. Happy belated anniversary to your parents!
Spice said…
Pastry looks wonderful....growing up in delhi this was the most wanted pastry ever..Anniversary wishes to your parents......& yes it's right about amul cream as I had a first hand experience with this situation back in sep. when I tried to frost the cake there and finally with no positive results, on suggestion of my niece we added melted choc. & turned it into choc. sauce to drizzle over the cake....
Khaugiri said…
Lovely Pastry dear.... Thanks for the tips....
Hayley said…
Hi Simran
happy tobe here..great recipes and tempting pastry...great pics too!
please do visit me whenever you can..!
AJ said…
Looks yummy Simran - one of the treats from Indian bakeries that I miss most here!!a
Anonymous said…
I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.

God Bless You :-)

~Ron
what a fun post to read. i loved how you baked this for your parents, 10 points for you for being an awesome child.
Hi came here from bharathy's blog. you have an amazing space here and thats an delectable cake. looks marvellous.
Just thought of informing you that we have again started the Arusuvai Friendship chain. You were a part of this last time if you are still interested in taking part please see this http://ahomemakersdiary.blogspot.com/2010/11/arusuvai-friendship-chain-another.html
Unknown said…
Well that pastry looks really good, but why didn't you use the whipping cream available at HyperCity? It works really well. These are great tips, useful in a cinch, but I usually use those creams!
Srivalli said…
Not sure how I missed this post!..looks super yum!..I can't say much abt the cream, but unsalted butter is in adandance in Nilgris here..should really try my hand on whipping to peeks as you said..:)

pastry looks heavenly!

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