Earlier this month, I made a pineapple upside-down cake to help celebrate the birthday of my brother-in-law since it is one of his favorite cakes. I've made this cake many times before, particularly during our Master's Weekend but I've never gotten around to posting the recipe. One bite into this cake and childhood memories come flooding back. I remember making this cake when we were teenagers. It was super easy because we used cake mix back then and it was one of our favorite desserts to make. The original recipe dates back to the 1920's and was originally made in an iron skillet - back in the day when ovens were not common or reliable. Thus, it was known as one of the many popular "skillet cakes" that were the big rage. There are so many versions of this recipe and I've tried many of them but I like this recipe because I use more brown sugar (it goes so perfect with pineapple) and put the pineapple juice in the batter for that extra pineapple-y flavor. If you're feeling a little nostalgic, this is the perfect dessert to bring back those memories. And it always turns out to be a visual stunner. How can you NOT love those pineapple rings with little bright cherries popping out at you? It's only natural to want to celebrate when you present this cake for dessert.
Serves 8
Topping
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
large can of sliced pineapple (6 canned slices or use fresh)
11 maraschino cherries
Cake
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature preferred
1/4 cup yogurt (any type of yogurt works or use sour cream)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup pineapple juice (reserved from the canned pineapple or use fresh)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare topping first: Place 1/4 cup of melted butter into 9x2 inch (deep dish) round cake pan or iron skillet. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Top with pineapple slices and arrange cherries between the pineapple slices.
3. Prepare the cake: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in the sugars vigorously getting out any brown sugar lumps - mixture will be gritty. Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract until combined.
5. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan over the pineapple topping.
7. Bake for 45 - 48 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil (loosely to avoid the top from sticking to the foil) at the 20 minute mark to avoid browning.
8. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Invert cake on top of a cake stand or a large serving plate. Slice and serve warm, room temperature, or even cold. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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