Caribbean Spiced Pineapple Slice

5 stacked pieces of carbbean spiced pineapple slice.

A sweet pineapple slice, infused with Caribbean spices.

Course Sweet

Cuisine Other

Keyword caribbean, pineapple, slice

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 15

Setting 1

Total Time 2 35

Servings pieces

Calories 173kcal

Author Lauren

Ingredients

Caribbean Spiced Pineapple Jam

5 cups pineapple, cut into 1-2 inch chunks (Note 3)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground clove
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger

Biscuit Base

1 1/4 cups wholemeal flour
1/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup milk, low / reduced fat
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Dark Chocolate Top

80 g dark chocolate melts
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Caribbean Spiced Pineapple Jam

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F.
In a small bowl, add the cinnamon, clove, maple syrup and extra virgin olive oil. Stir to mix. Place the pineapple chunks into a large bowl. Pour the spice syrup over the pineapple chunks and stir to mix.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Using a set of tongs, add the spiced pineapple chunks to the baking tray while reserving all the spiced pineapple juice left at the bottom of the bowl. Cook the pineapple chunks for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway. Remove the pineapple from the oven and set them aside to cool slightly.
Once the pineapple chunks are lukewarm, transfer them to a food processor and pulse until the pieces are broken up but still slightly chunky. Be sure to rinse and dry your food processor bowl afterwards, as it will be needed to make the base.
Transfer the chunky pineapple mix to a small saucepan (preferably non-stick) with the grated ginger, chia seeds and reserved spiced pineapple juice. Heat the small saucepan over medium-high heat until the pineapple jam mix starts to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated. The jam is done when no liquid pools on the surface.
Remove the jam mixture from the heat and set aside.

Biscuit Base

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°C.
Grease and line a brownie / slice pan with baking paper (the pan I used was 27.5 x17.5 x 3.5cm / 11 x 7 x 1.5"). Make sure you have some baking paper hanging over the longer sides of the slice pan, as you will need these later to help lift out the slice.
Add the wholemeal flour, almond meal, and flaxseed meal to your food processor bowl. In a small bowl, combine the milk and extra virgin olive oil. Turn on the food processor. While the blades are spinning, pour in the milk and extra virgin olive oil and mix until the ingredients are blended to form a coarse crumb.
Tip the base mixture into the lined slice pan and firmly press into an even layer. I used a large egg flipper for this, as it's quicker and makes the base more even.
Place the slice pan into the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Dark Chocolate Top

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, add the dark chocolate and extra virgin olive oil. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat for 10-15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. Continue heating, for 10-15 seconds at a time and stirring the dark chocolate until it is runny and lump-free.

Assembling the Pineapple Slice

Scoop the pineapple chia jam onto the biscuit base. Gently spread the jam to form an even layer covering the biscuit base (a cake palate knife works great for getting an even layer!). Note: The pineapple jam must be warm for the chocolate topping to spread! Cold pineapple jam will cause the chocolate to solidify quicker and spread unevenly. If your pineapple jam is cold, place it into a microwave-safe container and heat it for 1-2 minutes or until it is warm to the touch.
Pour the melted dark chocolate on top of the pineapple jam and spread it evenly to cover all the jam.
Place the pineapple slice in the fridge for 1 hour to set. Remove the slice from the fridge and gently lift it out of the slice pan onto a chopping board using the overhanging sides of the baking paper. Let the pineapple slice sit for 5 minutes to slightly warm the dark chocolate top, then cut into squares or bars with a knife.

Notes

Health benefits - Details regarding the benefits of pineapples and other ingredients in this recipe are in the post above.
Step by step instructions with photos - Detailed in the post above.
Pineapple - While fresh pineapple is preferable to reduce the amount of sugar, this recipe should also work canned pineapple. Canned fruit often comes with added sugar, so where possible, choose 'no added sugar' canned pineapple. Just make sure to drain it well and reserve 1 tablespoon of the canned juices. Other suitable fruits would be orange, figs or peaches.
Alcohol - I would recommend a Caribbean-style rum, such as Kraken spiced rum. Simply add 1 tablespoon of rum to the saucepan with the reserved spiced pineapple juice, or if making ahead, add the rum at the end of step 5 and place in the fridge (it should be absorbed). Do note that adding extra liquid will likely increase the time needed to evaporate all the liquid from the jam.
Nut allergies – Replace the almond meal with extra wholemeal flour. This is also a good way to reduce the cost of the slice.
Vegan - Substitute the milk for an unsweetened plant-based milk (preferably calcium-fortified) and use a vegan friendly dark chocolate.
Gluten free - Switch the wholemeal flour for almond meal or any other type of flour that is certified as gluten-free (e.g. buckwheat, sorghum, amaranth, etc).
Storage - Will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week (if they even last that long!). Otherwise, it can be frozen for up to 3 months, but you will need freezer film/paper to separate the pieces of pineapple slice if stacking them.
Nutrition - Calculated per serve, assuming 15 serves.

Nutrition