Posted on by wendyfehr

Summer Baking

Pineapple Whip Dessert

July 9, 2021

Something about summer screams out for fruit desserts.

That being said, I’m not sure this pineapple square from the Mennonite cookbook actually counts, given that it’s mostly whipped cream and butter. It also calls for canned pineapple, which won’t showcase your horticultural expertise or even your ability to obtain fresh produce. And yet somehow, it’s refreshing and somehow very suited for summer barbecues. My mom used to make it for family gatherings, and it was always one of my favourites.

It’s actually a fairly simple dessert. A traditional graham cracker crust with a buttercream filling and topped with whipped cream speckled with crushed pineapple. It’s quite attractive when all is said and done, and serves a crowd, although it does tend to go quickly.

Side notes: the crust tends to go soggy after a couple of days in the fridge, so plan appropriately for your crowd size. I would estimate that the 9×13 inch pan (one full recipe) would feed about 20-25 (depending on how many go for seconds…). Also, it’s a chilled dessert, so it’s likely best not to leave it on the buffet table for too long, especially given the heat we’ve been having this month (38 degrees last week!)

Pineapple Squares

Original recipe from “Squares and Slice” in The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes, 1961

This version has been adapted from the original based on personal preferences.

Yields one 9×13 inch pan

Base:

  • 3 cups graham wafer crumbs
  • ¾ cup melted margarine

Mix crumbs with margarine, press into pan. Bake 12-15 minutes in 350° oven. Cool.

Filling:

  • ¾ cup butter
  • 2 ½ cups icing sugar
  • 2 eggs

Cream butter. Add sugar and eggs. Beat until fluffy and spread over base.

Topping:

  • 1 can crushed pineapple (well-drained)
  • 1 ½ cups whipping cream

Mix pineapple with whipped cream and spread on top of filling. Chill before serving.

Notes

  • Make sure that the crushed pineapple is verywell drained before mixing with the cream. Otherwise, the dessert will get soggy from the excess moisture. Squeeze out the juice thoroughly and pat dry.
  • This dessert contains raw eggs.
  • This dessert is best after it has been chilled for several hours, but the crust may get soggy if left for more than a day or two.

 

In other news, we pulled in another basket of strawberries from our little patch in the garden last night, and I’ve had my eye on a recipe for strawberry buttermilk cake for a few days now. Stay tuned, perhaps it will make an appearance in the coming weeks (that is, if I get to baking them before they are eaten straight from the bowl…)

Clarissa

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