Upside Down Pineapple Cake
At 9-months-pregnant, I am so sleepy. So, so sleepy. Just about the only things that give me energy are cooking and cleaning. Cleaning all the things. And stocking up. Just like last time. So when I see a pineapple going soft on the counter, I need to cut it up and put it away. And when I keep opening the fridge and seeing pineapple chunks in there, I need to bake them. It can’t be questioned.
Which is why I made this pineapple cake twice in two days. One cake used up only half a pineapple, so I had to make another. That, and it was pretty much the easiest (one bowl! eyeballable ingredients!) cake I’ve made in a really long time, and by far the best.
Ok, that’s about as much typing as I can handle. Too tired. Just make this cake. And don’t wake me up.
UPSIDE DOWN PINEAPPLE CAKE
Makes an amazingly soft upside down pineapple cake. I took a lot of inspiration from this BBC GoodFood recipe but adjusted so much. I also apologize but while I can still bake cakes, I have no energy for converting weight-based units to volume. It’s easy, though! Just use an electric scale and zero the units after adding each ingredient. I remade this recipe with nectarines and apricots and it was amazing, so I had the opportunity to remeasure everything in cups. You’re welcome. Also, I didn’t really measure the butter or milk, I kind of eyeballed and it turned out great. Cake serves about 8 normal people or 2 of me. Keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
1/2 pineapple, peeled, core removed, cut into slices or chunks or however you like (you can also used canned pineapple/any other fruit)
200 grams butter, soft
125 grams (3/4 cup packed) brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
140 grams (2/3 cup) sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
200 grams (1 3/4 cup) flour
1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. If you have a cast iron skillet, use it; otherwise, use a springform pan. (NB: I used my springform for the first cake but it leaked out all over the oven so I switched over to the oven-proof skillet and it worked perfectly.)
Take 4 tablespoons of the butter and spread over the bottom of the skillet; add the brown sugar. I usually just put the skillet on the stove over low heat so the butter and brown sugar melt all together. I also like to sprinkle a pinch of salt and some cinnamon in, too, then mix it all with a spatula or wooden spoon, before turning off the heat. Arrange fruit chunks on top, leaving as little space between pieces as possible. (The fruit will shrink so really shove it in there.) Sprinkle some cinnamon on the pineapple chunks if you want. I also sprinkled some blueberries in there.
In a large bowl, whisk the rest of the butter and the sugar for a minute until creamy. Add in the eggs, egg white and vanilla extract and whisk for another minute. Add the baking powder and a pinch of salt and mix until uniform, then add the flour, mix; finally, add the milk and mix until uniform.
Pour batter over pineapple slices and bake in preheated oven for 35 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove skillet or pan from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cake plate covered in baking paper.
Serve with ice cream, beaten sour cream spiked with brandy, creme fraiche, whipped cream or yogurt. Enjoy!!
