When was the last time you had a pineapple upside-down cake?
I had some pineapple leftover from making Thai duck curry and thought I’d put it to good use.
This used up all the rest of the pineapple and made a 9″ square pan.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Topping
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 20-ounce can pineapple rings in juice, drained, or fresh pineapple, cleaned and cut into ¼” rings
- Candied red cherries or maraschino cherries (optional)
- Diced pecans or walnuts (optional)
Cake
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup milk
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9″ cake pan.
To make the topping:
Melt the butter, and mix with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
Space the pineapple rings atop the brown sugar mixture. If you’re using them, place a cherry in the center of each ring and scatter the nuts in any empty spaces.
To make the cake:
Beat the butter and sugar until fairly smooth.
Beat in the egg, then the salt, baking powder and vanilla.
Add the flour alternately with the milk, mixing at medium speed and beginning and ending with the flour. Once the last of the flour is added, mix briefly, just until smooth.
Spoon the thick batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges of the pan. It may not cover the pineapple entirely; that’s OK.
Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven, wait 3 minutes, then turn the pan over onto a serving plate. Wait 30 seconds, then lift the pan off. If anything sticks in the pan, just lift it out and place it back on the cake.
Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
My verdict:
A delicious classic!
I used a silicone baking pan and the cake slid out of it perfectly.
Thought briefly about putting some dried cherries in the center of the pineapple slices, but just went for the plain version (no nuts or cherries).
A recipe I saw talked about adding some dark rum to the topping and that might be good if you’re looking for a more grown up version.
