Chilean Pineapple Cake

For the vanilla sponge cake,

Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F.
Prepare 3 round cake pans 9″, cover the bottom with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, potato starch or cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat for 3-5 minutes. It should be creamy.

Add the eggs one by one, beating until incorporated.

Add 1/3 of the sifted flour mixture (you can eyeball it), beat a little, add half of the milk, beat. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat the rest of the milk with the vanilla. Finally, the rest of the flour mix well but without overbeating. Beat at medium-high speed for 20 seconds.

Distribute the mixture into the prepared pans; I weigh them to be sure they are the same. Spread with a spatula and bake 25-28 minutes until they are golden brown, and when you bury a stick, come out dry.

Allow cooling on a rack in the pans for half an hour. Then, release the edges with a knife and unmold, remove the parchment paper, wrap in cooking plastic and refrigerate for up to 5 days. This helps to make it easier to cut them. They can also freeze for up to 2 months.

For the filling,

Strain the pineapple and save the juice. Chop the pineapples with a knife so they are smaller.
In a large bowl, beat the cream when it thickens, add the sugar and continue beating until it holds stiff peaks.

To assemble the cake,

Reserve the most beautiful and even sponge cake for the top layer.
On the tray where they will assemble the cake, put the first layer of sponge cake, soak with 1/3 of the pineapple juice reserved. Spread a layer of whipped cream, place 1/2 of the pineapple, continue with another layer of cake, repeat, finish with a layer of sponge cake, soak in the juice. Cover with the remaining cream all around.

Decorate, cover the side of the cake with coconut flakes—the center on top with chocolate.