My Pineapple-y Thing

Lucy Mitchell, 89, of Fairdale, Kentucky, died on February 15, 2022.

Although I never met Lucy, I knew her so well through one very memorable cake.

I always loved to bake. But I didn’t take baking seriously until I noticed an article about the Favorite Cake amateur baking contest at the Kentucky State Fair. The Louisville Courier-Journal always published a brief article about the winner along with the recipe.

In 2000, the Favorite Cake winner was Lucy Mitchell, with her “pineapple-y thing” — a buttery combination of pineapple, coconut, and macadamias. Like so many accomplished home bakers, Lucy’s interview with the C-J reflects her home-baking, southern modesty.

“I’ve been trying for years to win that (contest),” Mitchell said. “Wouldn’t you know it would be that cake? I am so pleased.”

Whether for family get-togethers or church supper, she always reached for this recipe for its even-textured white cake with pineapple filling and covered with Seven-Minute Frosting and a shower of shredded coconut, crowned with chopped macadamia nuts.

As president of the Woman’s Club of Central Kentucky, I asked one of our members, Barb, if she would host a round table community engagement discussion at her home. She seemed close to saying “yes” so I tossed in a bribe. What if I bake you a cake? After reeling off some of my favorites, she settled on “the pineapple-y thing.”

A few days before Barb’s meeting, I pulled out my white ring binder filled with favorite recipes that I have collected over the years and stopped on the yellowed article cut out of the Louisville Courier-Journal. I hadn’t baked that cake in years, but it all came back to me. And I started wondering what might have become of Lucy. Within a few minutes, I found her obituary. She grew up a Cadiz farm girl, married her husband Thomas Edward Mitchell, and worked as a secretary for Durkees in Louisville. She had two children: a son and a daughter.

She loved raising roses, working crosswords, and baking cakes. Her obituary said that she enjoyed entering baking competitions at the Kentucky State Fair where she won a “few blue ribbons.” Really? She won the most competitive and coveted contest for cakes in the bluegrass! So, in memory of Lucy, an encore!

Lucy Mitchell’s Taste of Hawaii

Cake:

1 cup butter, softened 2 cups granulated sugar 3 cups cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup whole milk

Filling:

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (in heavy syrup) 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (in heavy syrup) 4 eggs, beaten 4 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups sugar

Icing:

2 egg whites, unbeaten 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cream tartar 1/4 cup cold water 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

1 1/2 cups chopped macadamia nuts, more or less; plus a few whole if desired 1 1/2 6-ounce packages frozen coconut

Candied flowers (optional)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 3 8-inch square or round cake pans.

To make cake layers: Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy (10 minutes with an electric mixer at medium-low speed). Sift flour before measuring. In another large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt together with a wire whisk to blend. Set aside.

Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir vanilla into the milk and add to butter mixture alternately with flour mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Smooth into corners of square pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Cool cake in pans on wire racks for a few minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely.

To make the filling: Mix all ingredients well in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring often until mixture thickens Cool.

To make the icing: Place all ingredients except vanilla on top of a double boiler over simmering water. Beat at medium speed until ingredients are well-mixed, then at high speed for 10 minutes. Remove from water, keep beating and add vanilla to blend.

To assemble: Split each layer horizontally, making 6 layers. Place one layer on a cake plate and spread the filling over it. Continue until each layer has been used. Frost cake, mounding icing at the edges on top, but leaving about a four-inch square un-iced in the center of the cake. Fill this square with chopped macadamia nuts. Sprinkle coconut on the icing. If desired garnish the cake with candied flowers and whole macadamia nuts.

Serves 12.

Candied flowers: The candied violets in the newspaper picture came from Creation Gardens in Louisville. Mitchell makes her own using snapdragons, violets, or any other non-poisonous flowers, being sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides. Gently wash in cold water and dry with paper towels. Brush petals carefully with egg whites and sprinkle sugar on them. Make sure all of the flowers are coated with sugar (if not, flowers will wilt and dry.)

Lucy baked her cake in square pans, but I used my trusty, and a little bit rusty, 8-inch rounds. Always grease the insides with vegetable shortening, cut out a circle of parchment paper for the bottom, then grease the parchment paper.

Lucy sliced each of the three layers in two, creating six delicate, thin sheets of white cake with pineapple in between. The cake is also good, though, with just the three layers. If only making three layers, you just need one 20-ounce can of pineapples, one cup of sugar, three eggs, and three tablespoons of butter, along with the syrup and vanilla extract. Also, don’t despair if you can’t find the pineapples in heavy syrup. I’ve made this cake with crushed pineapples in pineapple juice and it turned out just fine.

When it came to decorating the top of the cake, Lucy fancied it up with sugared flowers. I’ve also used dried pineapple flowers. https://www.thecookierookie.com/dried-pineapple-flowers/

Bon appetit!