Skip to main content

PIneapple Upside-Down Cake

When I first made this cake, I was under the impression that I didn't like pineapple upside-down cake. Turns out, I just don't like the ones sold at the grocery store and served at the church potlucks of my childhood. This one is a nice combination of spongey cake with a caramel/fruit topping. If you're careful, you can eat enough fruit before the pineapple cooks down that you can trick yourself into thinking you've been healthy.

I choose to make this cake in one pan. I saute the pineapple, make the caramel, return the pinapple, and put the cake on top of it -- all in the same cast iron skillet. The only trouble with this plan is that the recipe is written for a 10" skillet, and I have a 9" and a 12". Believe me, I've tried with the 9" and it's just too small, so I use the 12". Which is perfect for holding one whole pineapple, but does mean the cake batter is a bit thinner than intended.



Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Cook's Illustrated


Topping:
1 pineapple, in chunks (about 4 c)
1 c brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cake:
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking power
 1/2 tsp table salt
8 T unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 egg white
1/3 c whole milk


Prepare a 9" cake pan or 10" cast iron skillet.

For the topping, combine pineapple and brown sugar in skillet and cook over medium heat, about 15-18 minutes.

Empty fruit into a strainer over a bowl. Return juices to skillet, leaving pineapple to drain (keep it over a bowl). Begin to cook down the juices. At the 4 minute mark, add any additional juice that may have drained from the pineapple. Cook 2-4 more minutes, until thickened, and it begins to darken.

Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla.



If using a cake pan, pour the caramel mixture into the pan and set aside.

(Pineapple will continue to release liquid as it sits, but you will not use this.)

For the cake, preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together flour, powder and salt.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Reudce to medium. Add vanilla and combine. Add eggs, one at a time, and then the egg white. Beat well and scrape down the bowl.

Reduce speed to low. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the milk. Repeat flour-milk-flour. Give a final stir with a spatula, scraping the sides and bottom. The batter will be thick.

To bake, distribute pineapple over the caramel and lightly press fruit down. Using a rubber spatula, drop mounds of batter over fruit and then spread over to reach the sides of the pan.

Tap pan lightly against counter top to release any air bubbles. Bake about 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Then, invert, cool to room temperature (about 2 hours), and then serve.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cauliflower and Arugula Soup with Tibetan Flatbread

Because the weather is chilly, and because I had a bag of arugula from the last farm box taunting me, only to be compounded by a fresh bag of arugula from the recent farm box, I decided to try this soup I found from a blog associated with a California-based CSA, Eat Outside the Box . Cauliflower and Arugula Soup Eat Outside the Box farm blog 1 head cauliflower 1 red or white onion, peeled and chopped 3/4 lb zucchini, peeled and chopped 1/4 lb arugula 15 oz stock 15 oz water 1 T olive oil salt and pepper Parmesan cheese, grated First, let me state how important it is to wash your arugula before using it. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get lazy and rely on the "well, if it doesn't kill me, it'll just make me stronger" approach to washing my foods and vegetables. This laziness is only enhanced when the food I'm considering has come from an organic farm. But leaving aside all the various things that can get on the food
2 comments
Read more

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking.  Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take
1 comment
Read more

Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes

  We destroyed these. In a good way. It's a lovely-to-look-at dish, chock full of vegetables. More so than I had anticipated, and more so than most soba noodle dishes I've made in the past. We absolutely gobbled this up! Served here with a five-spice chicken and smashed cucumbers.  The original calls for nori. We don't love nori so left it out. Maybe we are missing a part of the experience, but even without it, this was delicious.  Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes Cook's Illustrated 8 oz soba noodles 3 T white miso paste 3 T mirin 2 T toasted sesame oil 1 T sesame seeds 1 tsp ginger, grated 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/3 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, sliced thin 4 oz snow peas, strings removed, cut lengthwise into matchsticks 4 radishes, trimmed, halved, sliced thin into half-moons 3 scallions, sliced thin Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Stir in noodles and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally
Post a Comment
Read more