What a blast from the past! My Mum (and just about every other mother in Australia too) used to make this all the time. It was the dessert of choice when you had people over for dinner. Not sure that ours came with the caramel sauce though, I'm thinking that is a lovely addition. Looks great Katie.
This cake also transports me back - my mum used to make it and it was served with lemon sauce and no cherries but the very sight of this still makes me feel nostalgic - would much prefer it with caramel sauce
Looks lovely Katie! It's years since I've eaten pineapple upside down cake, but the memories are good!
I know what you mean about escaping caramel from cake tins - I made a fruity upside down cake and my loose based cake tin leaked..... not as badly as yours though by the sound of it! Glad that cake wasn't affected too badly though!
Hi Katie, great job on your challenge and your cake does look moist. The topping looks delicious.
21 March 2010 at 11:16
Anonymous said...
Your cake looks so caramel-ly! I love it! I know a lot of bakers thought the cake was a little gummy, but I didn't think so at all - I loved the cake! My first time baking and tasting, loved this month's pick!
I love pineapple upside down cake - it's the way the pineapple juices sink into the sponge like a steamed golden syrup sponge pudding. Such a pretty looking cake too!
WOW, your cake looks so pretty, all that glossy caramel-ly goodness YUM! I thought the cake was a little dense, maybe I should've made more caramel & let it soak in. I'm glad you enjoyed your first taste of this cake, it's one of my fave cakes.
This was one of the first cakes I learned how to make, although I did use a cake mix...we had one layer boxed mixes. There is something magical about the caramel-pineapple-vanilla cake combo, especially if served warm. Lovely choice and your cake looks wonderful!
Hi, been reading your blog since March 2010, when I stumbled across your chocolate overload cake. My Daughter wanted a chocolate birthday cake - and was that chocolatey. I have a upside down pineapple cake cooking in my oven as I type and it smells delicious, I have used a fresh pineappple and had to juice some pineapple for the juice- lets hope it is just as good. Love your blogs and often try out the recipes.
YUMMY! Thanks for sharing this recipe, now I know what to cook for dessert this weekend when my friends visit me at home. Im sure this would definitely be a hit. It would go really well with a hot cup of coffee made from one of my cappuccino makers at home. Kudos!
29 July 2010 at 17:24
[Image]Pineapple upside down cake is a much loved cake dessert. The rings of pineapple filled with a shiny maraschino cherry make it instantly recognisable. It is traditionally made in a cast iron skillet, started off on the hob and finished in the oven, but it works equally well in a cake tin.
Believe it or not until I made this cake I had never tasted a pineapple upside down cake before, so I was delighted when it won the vote for this month’s Cake Slice choice. Now I have tasted it, I will definitely be making it again. I loved the whole fruit, cake, caramel combo.
[Image]
A word to the wise though – if you make it in a springform tin (like I did) make sure you either wrap the outside of the tin well in foil or place it on a baking tray. I did neither and soon found out that a springform tin will not hold the beginnings of bubbling caramel. It managed to seep out of the tin and start dripping into the base of the oven within the first 10 minutes. This then burnt and produced smoke signals that some ancient tribes would have been proud of!! I hastily stuck the tin on a tray and wiped the oven as best I could – thankfully it didn’t seem to affect the cake, but you have been warned!
[Image]
Making the caramel is very simple. A mix of melted butter and dark brown sugar are sprinkled over the base of a pan before being topped with rings of pineapple and glossy red maraschino cherries. This is then topped with a thick vanilla sponge and baked. The juices from the pineapple seep out of the fruit and combine with the butter and dark brown sugar in the base to produce a delicious dark and treacly caramel layer, which becomes the top once turned out. The cake top/base is a little dense, but this means it happily soaks up all the pineapple juices and the caramel once inverted, making one delicious dessert.
[Image]
I loved how the caramel layer added a bronze glaze to the pineapple rings. The first flavour when taking a bite was of sweet and treacly caramel but this was counterbalanced as the pineapple released its slightly sharp, yet tropical juice as you bit into it.
I made this when my grandmother was visiting for dinner and she said she remembered it with great fondness from her childhood. This created a long discussion about other food memories and recipes. I think its amazing how certain dishes or flavours can transport us back to events that may have happened years ago.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
(Recipe from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)
[Image]Pineapple Topping
1 x 430-450g can pineapple rings, in juice
50g butter
140g dark brown sugar
10 maraschino or glace cherries
Cake
180g plain flour
155g caster sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
½ salt
110ml milk
50g butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp pineapple juice from can
Method – Pineapple Topping
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Drain the pineapple well, reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice for the cake batter. Melt the butter in a 10inch/25cm cast iron skillet over medium heat. Or, melt the butter and pour it over the base of a 9inch/23cm round cake tin.
Remove the pan from the stove and sprinkle the brown sugar over the buttery surface. Place the pineapple rings carefully on top of the scattered brown sugar and melted butter, arranging them so they fit in 1 layer. (You may have a few left over). Place a cherry in the centre of each ring, and set the pan aside.
Method - Cake
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and gently mix. Add the milk and butter and beat well with a mixer, scraping down the bowl once or twice until you have a thick, fairly smooth batter, about 1 minute.
Add the egg, reserved pineapple juice and the vanilla and beat until well incorporated, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides.
Carefully pour the batter over the pineapple and use a spoon to spread it evenly to the edges of the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden brown and springs back when touched lightly in the centre. Cool in the skillet or pan for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
When the pan is still hot, run a knife around the edge of the pan to release any cooling caramel and use oven gloves to carefully invert the warm cake onto a serving plate.
[Image]Serve warm with crème fraiche or cream.
"The Cake Slice March 2010: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake"
18 Comments -
What a blast from the past! My Mum (and just about every other mother in Australia too) used to make this all the time. It was the dessert of choice when you had people over for dinner. Not sure that ours came with the caramel sauce though, I'm thinking that is a lovely addition. Looks great Katie.
20 March 2010 at 08:16
This cake also transports me back - my mum used to make it and it was served with lemon sauce and no cherries but the very sight of this still makes me feel nostalgic - would much prefer it with caramel sauce
20 March 2010 at 13:22
Perfectly done and I loved the caramelized areas...
20 March 2010 at 14:28
You always have such beautiful cakes and pictures! I'm glad you got to try your first Pineapple Upside-Down cake!
Happy Spring!
20 March 2010 at 15:27
Looks lovely Katie! It's years since I've eaten pineapple upside down cake, but the memories are good!
I know what you mean about escaping caramel from cake tins - I made a fruity upside down cake and my loose based cake tin leaked..... not as badly as yours though by the sound of it! Glad that cake wasn't affected too badly though!
20 March 2010 at 18:44
Hi Katie, great job on your challenge and your cake does look moist. The topping looks delicious.
21 March 2010 at 11:16
Your cake looks so caramel-ly! I love it! I know a lot of bakers thought the cake was a little gummy, but I didn't think so at all - I loved the cake! My first time baking and tasting, loved this month's pick!
21 March 2010 at 16:49
I'm really likeing the picture of the uncooked fruit in the tin. pretty!
I'm glad you liked it so much. Now you'll have to try didn't versions and compare :-)
21 March 2010 at 18:06
Your cherries look like rubies! so pretty! I love sharing food memories with people and getting recipes for long forgotten cakes.
21 March 2010 at 21:25
O that looks gorgeous but I can imagine what a mess the caramel must have made in the oven! Good tip on making sure the bottom is safely wrapped.. :)
21 March 2010 at 22:30
Love the vividness of the cake. So gorgeous.
22 March 2010 at 07:57
I love pineapple upside down cake - it's the way the pineapple juices sink into the sponge like a steamed golden syrup sponge pudding.
Such a pretty looking cake too!
22 March 2010 at 08:25
Aww looks like I missed out on the wrong one! I love these kinds of cakes, but been unwell! :( Cake looks delicious!!
22 March 2010 at 12:19
WOW, your cake looks so pretty, all that glossy caramel-ly goodness YUM! I thought the cake was a little dense, maybe I should've made more caramel & let it soak in. I'm glad you enjoyed your first taste of this cake, it's one of my fave cakes.
23 March 2010 at 01:58
This was one of the first cakes I learned how to make, although I did use a cake mix...we had one layer boxed mixes. There is something magical about the caramel-pineapple-vanilla cake combo, especially if served warm. Lovely choice and your cake looks wonderful!
29 March 2010 at 03:52
Thanks for the pineapple upsidedown cake recipe. The end result looks tasty.
9 April 2010 at 21:21
Hi, been reading your blog since March 2010, when I stumbled across your chocolate overload cake. My Daughter wanted a chocolate birthday cake - and was that chocolatey. I have a upside down pineapple cake cooking in my oven as I type and it smells delicious, I have used a fresh pineappple and had to juice some pineapple for the juice- lets hope it is just as good. Love your blogs and often try out the recipes.
Thanks for the recipes.
Debbie
27 July 2010 at 11:38
YUMMY! Thanks for sharing this recipe, now I know what to cook for dessert this weekend when my friends visit me at home. Im sure this would definitely be a hit. It would go really well with a hot cup of coffee made from one of my cappuccino makers at home. Kudos!
29 July 2010 at 17:24