I love a tray bake because you get everything you want out of a cake without any layering, sandwiching or building, which makes it a foolproof way of having your cake and eating it, too. Pretty much every single cake can be made in tray-bake form and that is the beauty of it. In our house, it’s about cutting chunks of cake straight out of the tray for when we are on the move, so I love making tray bakes for picnics or school bake sales.This recipe works particularly well because the tinned pineapple makes the bake moist and sweet. I’ve been a bit obsessed with tinned pineapple ever since I gorged on it during my second pregnancy. I still buy it to this day, but I don’t eat it out of the tin with such enthusiasm any more. In a cake, though, it’s another matter. The pairing of pineapple, lime and cinnamon makes this something of a tropical explosion of flavours and, although we don’t often get tropical weather here in the UK, there is no reason why we can’t bring the tropics into our homes with our baking. It is like a party in your mouth.

Pineapple and lime tray bake
Serves 12

70g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
120g dark soft brown sugar
1 x 227g can pineapple chunks in juice, drained weight 136g
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Zest of 2 limes
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
140g self-raising flour, sieved
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp whole milk
50g dried pineapple

For the vanilla icing
250g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
150g icing sugar, sieved

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Line and grease a 28cm x 18cm rectangular brownie tray or baking tin. Set aside while you start making the tray bake.
2 Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, whisk together for about 5 minutes. The mixture will become slightly paler in colour.
3 Drain the tinned pineapple, then take handfuls of it and squeeze out as much excess juice as possible. Put the pineapple into a clean bowl and use the back of a fork to crush the pieces, just to break them up a bit. If at this point you see more moisture in the bowl, just drain it out. Add the cinnamon and zest of one of the limes and mix through. Set side.
4 Gradually add the eggs to the sugar and butter mix, beating all the time until it is well combined. Add the pineapple mixture and fold in using a spoon.
5 Now add the flour and baking powder and mix until you have a thick glossy mixture. Stir in the milk to slacken the mixture. Pour the batter into the tin and level off the top using the back of a spoon.
6 Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Once it is baked, leave to cool completely in the tin.
7 To make the vanilla icing, pour away any liquid that may have separated from the cream cheese and whisk together the butter and cream cheese in a bowl until well combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and icing sugar and whisk until you have a glossy icing.
8 Dollop the icing on top of the cooled tray bake and spread evenly in a thick layer. Give it a final flourish with some dried pineapple and the zest of the remaining lime.

Nadiya’s tip
You can always use fresh pineapple, instead of tinned, if you have one. Make sure you cut out the core, the eyes and any other tough bits first though.