Baking . Cakes . Desserts

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

On July 13, 2012 by

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is one of the prettiest looking cakes with a gorgeous caramel coating and golden pineapple slices on top. It is really fun making it and if all the steps are followed properly, the fruits and sugar won’t stick to the pan when you invert the cake. The recipe for the cake is nothing different from the usual cake recipe that you may have, but in this case, before you pour in the cake batter, you have to grease the pan with butter, coat it with a layer of caramel syrup and place pieces of pineapples over it. Once the cake is baked, we simply invert the cake while it is still hot before the sugar gets stuck. And voila! You have a beautiful layer of fruits on top and a spongy cake below!

Prep time: 40 min Baking time: 50 min-1 hour Serves: 8-10 slices

Topping:
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter: 4 tbsp
Brown sugar: 3/4th cup
Pineapple slices: 5 or 6, about 1/4th inch thick
Maraschino cherries: 5 or 6

Method:
1) Grease a round or square pan liberally with butter. In a saucepan, melt butter, mix brown sugar and keep stirring it over medium heat till the sugar dissolves. (You can also use regular sugar but it may take time to become brown).
2) Once the syrup starts bubbling, it will become deeper in colour which means it has caramelised.
3) Remove from heat and carefully pour it on the greased pan (it will be very hot!).
4) Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over it. Keep aside.

Cake batter:
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour: 1 1/2 cups
Baking powder: 2 heaped tsp
Vinegar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: 1/4th tsp
Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup
Sugar: 3/4th cup
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Large eggs: 2
Milk: 3/4th cup

Method:
1) Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees F.
2) Mix flour, baking powder and salt.
3) Whisk together room temperature butter and sugar till the sugar dissolves. Add vanilla, egg yolks and vinegar. Keep beating till mixture becomes smooth.
4) Slowly add half the flour mixture and half the milk. Whisk it and add the other halves, alternating between flour and milk.
5) Beat egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold it into the Pineapple Upside Down cake batter.

Pineapple upside down cake

6) Pour the mixture in the pan, over the fruit slices and bake it for 55 min to 1 hour. Use a toothpick to see if the cake is ready or not.
7) Remove from the oven and run a knife along the sides of the cake. After a minute or two, invert the cake into a platter. Serve hot.

Pineapple upside down cake

Note: 
* You can increase the amount of sugar in the Pineapple Upside Down cake batter according to the sweetness of your pineapple. Mine were very sweet and fresh and hence I reduced the amount the sugar.  BTW, fresh pineapples smell heavenly!
* Some ovens may take 5 to 10 minutes less to bake the cake. So do check on your cake after 50 minutes. If it is still wobbly and not brown, let it sit in the oven for a few more minutes.
* Before placing the pineapple slices on the pan, dab a tissue on them to soak the juice from the fruit. This way the cake won’t be too soggy

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
 
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Pineapple Upside Down Cake is one of the prettiest looking cakes with a gorgeous caramel coating and golden pineapple slices on top.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
Topping:
  • Unsalted butter: 4 tbsp
  • Brown sugar: ¾th cup
  • Pineapple slices: 5 or 6, about ¼th inch thick
  • Maraschino cherries: 5 or 6
Cake batter:
  • All-purpose flour: 1½ cups
  • Baking powder: 2 heaped tsp
  • Vinegar: ½ tsp
  • Salt: ¼th tsp
  • Unsalted butter: ½ cup
  • Sugar: ¾th cup
  • Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
  • Large eggs: 2
  • Milk: ¾th cup
Method
  1. Grease a round or square pan liberally with butter. In a saucepan, melt butter, mix brown sugar and keep stirring it over medium heat till the sugar dissolves. (You can also use regular sugar but it may take time to become brown).
  2. Once the syrup starts bubbling, it will become deeper in colour which means it has caramelised.
  3. Remove from heat and carefully pour it on the greased pan.
  4. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over it. Keep aside.
  5. Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees F.
  6. To make the cake batter, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
  7. Whisk together butter and sugar till the sugar dissolves. Add vanilla, egg yolks and vinegar. Keep beating till mixture becomes smooth.
  8. Slowly add half the flour mixture and half the milk. Whisk it and add the other halves, alternating between flour and milk.
  9. Beat egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold it into the cake batter.
  10. Pour the mixture into the pan, over the fruit slices, and bake it for 55 min to 1 hour. Use a toothpick to see if the cake is ready or not.
  11. Remove from the oven and run a knife along the sides of the cake. After a minute or two, invert the cake into a platter. Serve hot.
Written by

Meghalee Das is a former journalist, who occasionally writes as a freelancer. She loves traveling, camping, hiking, kayaking, gardening and of course, cooking. Currently she is doing her MBA from Texas State University and updates her blog whenever she gets the time!