Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I waited until the very last minute to make this month's Cake Slice Bakers cake.  Mostly because I was having problems with my asthma.  But I was determined to bake this cake before the March 20th deadline.

I was not disappointed.

This cake was even easier to put together than the Mississippi Mud Cake.

And the taste was fantastic.  The cake wasn't too sweet, which seemed like a perfect balance for the sweet topping.  And the cake was just firm enough that it doesn't crumble beneath the sticky sweet pineapple topping.  I served each piece with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.  But I think this would be even greater with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

*In Spanish, a Pineapple Upside-Down cake is called a Volteado de Piña.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
(From Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Pineapple Topping:

• 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple rings, with their syrup
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark (I used dark)
• 10 maraschino cherries

Cake:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350ºF.

To make the topping, drain the pineapple well, reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice (or syrup) for the cake.  Put the cold butter in a 9-inch round cake pan and put it in the oven for a few minutes as it heats to melt the butter.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the brown sugar over its buttery surface.

Carefully arrange the pineapple rings on top of the scattered brown sugar and melted butter.  Place a cherry in the center of each ring.

To make the cake, in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; use a fork to mix them together.

Add the milk and butter and beat well with a mixer on medium speed, scraping the bowl once or twice.  The batter will be very thick.

Add the egg, reserved pineapple syrup and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes more, stopping once or twice to scrape down the bowl.

Carefully pour the batter over the pineapple arranged in the cake pan.  Use a spoon or spatula to spread the batter evenly to the edges.  Bake at 350ºF for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is a light golden brown and springs back when touched gently in the center.

Cool the cooked cake in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Using oven mitts, carefully turn out the warm cake onto a serving plate, by placing the plate upside-down over the cake in the pan, flipping them over together to release the cake on to the plate.  Best served warm with a billowy dollop of sweetened whipped cream.  Enjoy!!!

Don't forget to check out the other Cake Slice Bakers' cakes!

With Love,

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