Pineapple and coconut squares recipe

Give your home baking an exotic tropical flavour with these moist and moreish sponge squares. You can use butter or soft margarine, but I find slightly salted or unsalted butter gives the best flavour.

Ingredients

• 225g (8oz) softened butter or margarine
• 225g (8oz) caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs, beaten
• 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
• 100g (4oz) desiccated coconut
• 227g can pineapple chunks
• 75g (3oz) icing sugar

Method

1. Lightly grease an 18cm x 28cm (7in x 11in) oblong cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat thoroughly until very pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs.
2. Gently fold in the flour, then fold in 75g (3oz) of the coconut. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
3. Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving 30ml (2tbsp) of the syrup, and roughly chop the chunks. Scatter over the top of the cake mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4, for 40-50 mins, until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then carefully remove from the tin and leave to cool completely.
4. Lightly toast the rest of the coconut under the grill. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and beat in the reserved pineapple syrup to make a smooth, quite runny icing. Drizzle over the cake and sprinkle over the toasted coconut. Cut into squares.