Southern pineapple jelly cake

In 2019, I was discussing with my friend Julian Angel (the artist behind the Del Ciervo blog) a trip to New York, and he insisted that I couldn’t go to NYC without meeting Vallery Lomas.

I had been following Vallery on social media for quite sometime and we had exchanged mutual admiration of eachother’s work. Ironically, both of us are Rights & Law graduates, and we both found alyssum in baking which eventually became an inevitable passion.

On my trip, I met Vallery in Harlem and we ambled down the streets until we reached her favorite book store, “Kitchen Arts & Letters”.

She spent the afternoon introducing me to all the foodie people around Harlem, and frankly it was hard to miss her inconspicuous joyous smile.

We discussed her grueling victories in the American Baking Show (season 3), which was sadly cancelled after airing two episodes due to some misconduct allegations filed against one of the judges. Yet, it didn’t deter her determination and constant persistence in proving herself as an ambitious baker, debuting her baking book “Life is What You Bake it.”

Filled with delicious baked goods inspired by her family and hometown in Louisiana, her creations are true showstoppers - banana foster oven baked pancakes; one bowl blueberry buckle; and German chocolate cookies to name a few.

Here is a recipe from her book, a Southern Jelly Cake passed down by her grandmother. I’ve added ginger and cinnamon to the pineapple filling as a winter twist.

This recipe is adapted from vallery cookbook “life is what you bake it”

Makes one 3-layer cake

Pineapple Filling:

1 (21-ounce) can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup or pineapple in its own juice

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar (if using pineapple in its own juice, increase to ⅓ cup/65g)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake

Nonstick baking spray with flour

3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups (400g) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup (240ml) whole milk

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package (1 cup/226g) cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method :

Prepare the pineapple filling: In a blender or food processor, blend the pineapple on low until the consistency of applesauce, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a small saucepan, add the sugar, ginger , cinnamon and heat over low until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and dust lightly with flour . 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low speed until creamy, about 30 seconds.With the mixer running, pour the sugar in a steady stream. Continue to beat on medium-low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until light, fluffy, and pale, 2 to 3 more minutes.

. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated before adding the next, about 2 minutes in total. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add one-third of the flour mixture, mixing until just a few streaks of flour remain. Add half the milk and mix until combined. If the batter appears broken, don’t worry—the next bit of flour will

bring it back together. Add half the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix on low speed, just until no streaks of flour remain. Add the remaining ½ cup milk, continuing mixing on low, then add the remaining flour mixture. Mix until the flour is integrated, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans and smooth the top.

Bake until the cake layers are golden on top and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the layers onto the cooling rack to cool.

While the layers are on the cooling rack, spread half the pineapple filling on one layer and the remaining filling on a second layer. (The third layer won’t get any pineapple on top.) Let cool completely.

Make the cream cheese frosting: Add the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the ingredients come together, then increase the speed to medium and mix until creamy, about 5 minutes.

Place one layer with pineapple filling on a cake plate, pineapple side up. Set the second layer with pineapple filling on top of the first. Then add the final plain layer, placing it upside down on top so that the bottom of the cake, the most even side, faces up (this gives you a nice, flat surface to frost). Use a spatula to frost the top and sides of the cake with the cream cheese frosting. Let the frosting set, then enjoy.

notes from the authors : Store the cake, covered (I like using a cake dome), until ready to serve. If it won’t be eaten within a couple of days, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Jelly cakes are a Southern tradition. When I went to Grandma Willie Mae’s house, sometimes she would bless us with not one of her million dollar cakes but two. The first one was always filled with pineapple and the second one always had apple jelly as the filling. I later learned that “jelly cake” was actually a thing, traditionally filled and iced with jelly so it luxuriously drips down the sides. Granny always frosted her jelly cake with cream cheese frosting on the top and sides—she liked things tidy. To turn Granny’s Million Dollar Cake into a jelly cake, substitute 1 to 1½ cups of your favorite jelly for the pineapple and warm the jelly slightly to make it spreadable. It can be hard to find apple jelly these days, so I often use strawberry or apricot jam instead. Just be careful if you choose to use preserves, which contain large pieces of fruit that might not be so spreadable or beautiful for your jelly cake.