These ‘flowers’ are actually slices of dried pineapple. They’re chewy, sweet and tasty and decorate rustic-type cakes beautifully.
To make pineapple flowers:
- Slice the top and bottom off a fresh pineapple.
- Remove the outer skin or peel.
- Use a melon baller or similar to dig out the ‘eye’s – when you have removed the outer peel, you’ll see what I mean.
- With a thin, sharp knife or mandolin, cut the pineapple into almost translucent slices. Take care to keep your fingers out of the way!
- Place the slices on kitchen roll and blot each one to remove the excess pineapple juice.
- Place on baking parchment or a silicone sheet and bake on a low setting – between 70 and 80º – for approximately 4 hours. Check them regularly and when they are almost dry and still have some flexibility, take each one and place inside a yorkshire pudding tray, muffin tray or similar. This will let them dry with a flower-like curl.
- Bake for another 30 mins or so.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool.
- Place them in an airtight container layered with kitchen roll. They will keep for about a month in a cool, dry cupboard or pantry.
- Use them to decorate rustic cakes or cupcakes.
Three Bees in My Bonnet 