Havana cake is a combination of sponge and coconut cake with a custard-pineapple cream. This cake might seem to be heavy, due to the fact that it is a cream cake, but nothing could be further from the truth. The sponge cake itself is fluffy and light, and so is the coconut layer. To prevent the sponge cake from becoming dry, I drizzle it with soaking syrup made from lemon and pineapple juice. You can also add alcohol to the syrup, but then it will not be suitable for children.
I start preparing the Havana cake by baking a sponge cake. First, I separate the egg whites from the yolks and whisk them with sugar, then I combine them with the yolks, oil, flour and sugar powder. After baking the sponge cake, I start preparing the coconut cake. I use egg whites, sugar and shredded coconut for it. After whipping the egg whites with sugar, I quickly add the coconut and pour the cake batter into baking tin. I bake the coconut cake for about 40 minutes. The baking time largely depends on the oven, if you can see the cake turning brown in the oven quicker, it is probably ready earlier than the 40 minutes.
Of course, I start the preparation of custard and pineapple cream by cooking the pudding. I like making this cream from pudding, which I combine with a little milk and egg yolks. To prepare the mix, I use the egg yolks remaining from the coconut cake. I pour the pudding over the boiling milk with sugar, cook it for a while so that the starch in the pudding is properly cooked, then I cool it down. I rub soft butter for a while, usually with a food processor. When the butter is well mashed, I add the cold custard and finally the pineapple cubes. At the end, I combine the cake layers with the cream.
Havana cake without a doubt is a hit. I recently made it for my mother-in-law’s birthday, and everyone enjoyed it a lot. I wholeheartedly recommend checking the below recipe for Havana cake, and I wish you happy baking.
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Ingredients for Havana cake.
Sponge cake:
- 4 eggs “L”
- 180 g icing sugar
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 40 g potato flour
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
Coconut cake:
- 4 egg whites from eggs size “L”
- 160 g icing sugar
- 180 g shredded coconut
Custard cream with pineapple:
- 600 ml milk (2,8 %)
- 140 g crystal sugar
- 80 g pudding powder (2 packets)
- 300 g chopped canned pineapple
- 250 g butter
- 4 egg yolks from eggs size “L”
Soaking syrup:
- 60 ml pineapple juice
- 60 ml lemon juice
How to make Havana cake.
Sponge cake preparation.
Put egg whites and a pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk until it becomes very well foamed, almost stiff. At that point, add the icing sugar in small batches, while whisking constantly. Next, add the liquid egg yolks and oil while mixing with a spoon or food processor at low speed. After that, add flour in big batches, potato flour and baking powder, sifted through a sieve. Pour the sponge cake batter into a baking tray lined with baking paper and place it in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes. Let the baked sponge cake cool down, then cut it lengthwise.
Soak the top layers of the sponge cake with pineapple juice mixed with lemon juice.
Coconut cake preparation.
Put the egg whites into a bowl and whisk until it becomes very well foamed, then add the icing sugar in small batches, while whisking constantly. Next, add shredded coconut to the whipped eggs with sugar, mix quickly but gently. Pour the coconut cake batter into a baking tin lined with baking paper and place it in an oven preheated to 155 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes. Let the baked cake cool down.
Custard cream with pineapple preparation.
Pour 400 ml of milk into a pot, add crystal sugar and bring it to a boil. Mix 200 ml of milk with egg yolks and pudding powder in a cup. When the milk in the pot starts boiling, pour in the pudding from the cup. Stirring constantly, cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove the cooked pudding from the heat, place a kitchen foil directly on the pudding and set it aside to cool down.
Put soft butter into a bowl and rub it into a fluffy, almost white mass. Add the cold pudding to the grated butter in small batches, and mix until the mass has no lumps. Next, add the diced pineapple and mix.
Assembly of Havana cake.
Put half of the pineapple cream on the first cake top, spread it thoroughly and cover with the second cake top. Spread the remaining cream on the sponge cake and cover it with coconut layer. Put the Havana cake in the fridge for a few hours to make the cream thick well.
Good to know when making Havana cake.
All the ingredients used to prepare the sponge cake and the coconut cake should be at room temperature. I baked both cakes in a 21 by 30 centimetre baking tin.
The pudding cream can be prepared with butter or margarine. You can also combine butter with margarine in a 50:50 ratio.
You can replace the plain pudding powder with vanilla pudding powder.
Do you like cakes with coconut? If so, try our recipe for Coconut macaroons.
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