Skip to main content

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake


Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 204.

This is an old-fashioned cake that I remember my mother making. I am not sure if her recipe was the same as Maida's but it tastes just like I remember it. This cake is made in a cast-iron skillet (or you can use any frying pan or 12-inch pie plate). It is fairly easy to make and fun to put together. The hardest part is turning the heavy skillet upside down but the cake comes out easily. I would recommend placing a plate or cardboard cake circle directly over the skillet and hold it carefully when flipping it over. A helping hand is good to have available!

 Pecans are optional for this cake and you can arrange the pineapple slices and cherries (and pecans) any way you prefer. My mother never used pecans on hers and I decided to skip them as well.

The cake is very light and the pineapple flavor is intense. It is the perfect combination!

Topping

 5 1/3 TBS. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 20-ounce can sliced pineapple (packed in natural juices)
Optional: Pecan halves, cherries (either maraschino, candied or Bing)

 Preheat the oven to 350.
A frying pan or 12-inch pie plate is recommended. Spray the pan with a nonstick spray.

Pour the melted butter over the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.
Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice, and dry the rings on a paper towel.
Place the pineapple rings around the pan in any pattern you prefer (there may be some left over). Place the cherries (and pecans) in the holes of the pineapple and in the spaces around them.
Set aside and prepare the cake.



 Cake

 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 TBS. drained pineapple juice
1/2 cup apricot preserves (for the glaze)

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat the eggs at high speed for one minute.
Continue to beat while slowly adding the sugar. Beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and pale.
Add the vanilla.
Add the pineapple juice. Beat on low speed until mixed.
On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients, beating only until smooth.
Pour the batter over the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the pan immediately.

 Apricot Glaze

While the cake is baking, prepare an apricot glaze by heating 1/2 cup of apricot preserves. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush the glaze over the top of the cake.

Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
1. After you have flipped the frying pan with the baked cake over, let the pan sit for two minutes before removing it.

2. I've found that making 1 1/2 recipes of cake batter while keeping the single recipe of toppings (and glaze) gives a better ratio of cake to topping.
February 9, 2024 at 8:32 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. viii. I made these brownies again a few days ago and they were just as good as ever. This time I made half with York Peppermint Patties and the other half with Andes mints. There wasn't a noticeable difference in taste. The ones with the Andes mints were pretty with the mint green color but the ones with Yorks are equally pretty. When Maida Heatter's first book (the above-mentioned title) won the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame Award in 1998, she accepted her award on stage and began to toss out these brownies to the audience. Everybody clamored for one and went wild. The original recipe came from a local deli in her area and did not include the mints (that recipe is available in the first edition of this book). She tinkered with the recipe and added the mints which do not melt during baking. I've been itching to ...
9 comments
Read more

Mulattoes

Mulattoes Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 199. Of the hundreds of Maida Heatter cookie recipes, this may be the most famous. These are chunky but soft, extremely chocolaty,  full of nuts and chocolate chips. Sinfully delicious! They are easy to make. The trickiest part may be the baking time. After making them numerous times, I have learned to only bake them 10 or 11 minutes at the most, then remove them and allow them to sit on the hot baking pan for about 5 minutes. They will be extremely soft to the touch but eventually they firm up nicely.  I just use my hand mixer for these. Although the recipe states that it makes 18 large cookies, I find that the yield is slightly higher, even when making them fairly large. I use a tablespoon scoop to form the cookies. 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 3 oz. (3/4 stick) butter 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking pow...
12 comments
Read more

Frozen Chocolate Mousse

Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 228. Here is a dessert sure to make any chocoholic swoon. Silky and decadent, this frozen mousse is like a rich chocolate ice cream. It is really easy to make - all the folding required will give you a workout but it is worth it! The crust can be made with crushed wafer cookies or you could even buy a ready-made crust. If doing your own, the instructions say to apply the crumbs around the sides of the pan (use a springform pan) but I did not do this - I just made a bottom layer. You will have to run a sharp knife around the pan before releasing the catch on the pan. The mousse is soft (even after freezing) and it will need to be put back in the freezer as soon as possible after serving. Maida Heatter recommends covering the mousse with either whipped cream, strawberries or chocolate leaves. I did not do either, it looks lovely without a topping. Crust 8 oz. choc...
5 comments
Read more