Pineapple Upside Down Cake

It can't get more retro than this. 

You know how much I love Cakes that need no fussing over. The whipping up of the frosting and then decorating and all that jazz. I like to aim for simple elegance. This.Is.It y'all! 

A cake that you know has been around for generations. The moist crumby texture enhanced with a bottom layer of sweetened caramelised Pineapple and those tiny little red cherries to make it all the more retro. Flipped over and boom! Pineapple Upside Down cake at your service. 

I had made this cake  for the first time about 2 years back and never got around to sharing it here. So I HAD to make it again just because I had a can of pineapple slices in my fridge that was soon going to be past its expiry date. 

Ohh shoot! Was I not supposed to divulge that detail?! I probably should have written a better excuse than using up that can but oh well... I know you won't judge me for my honest confession. Thats what I love about you guys! You always accept me for who I am. Lucky me. 

I used half the batter to make 6 Tropical Pina Colada Cupcakes. Do check them out! 

**Special Note: I am writing the recipe here that I use for making only the pineapple upside down cake. So please do not get confused by the pictures. Just use the quantities that I have specified below and you should have a perfect cake. 

Serves: 6

Time taken: 50-60 minutes

Complexity: *** 

You'll Need 

100 gms/ 1 stick butter + 50gms butter

3/4th cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp sugar

3/4th cup flour

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of love

Pineapple slices

cherries

Method

Take your cake pan or skillet which ever you are using for the cake. Place in the 2 tbsp of butter in the pan over medium heat. 

Let the butter melt and add in the 2 tbsp of light brown sugar in it. Allow the sugar to melt completely. 

The mix will start to bubble in a minute or so and start deepening in colour. 

When it turns a good shade of golden brown remove it from the heat and allow to cool. 

After about 10 minutes or so, start arranging your pineapple slices and cherries like in the pan. 

Preheat your oven at 150C or 300F.

You can make this cake manually with a whisk, in a food processor or a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. I used a food processor. We need to first cream the butter and sugar. Combine the 3/4th cup of brown sugar with 2 tbsp of white sugar and dump it with the butter. Whisk till the sugar is all melted for about 2-3 minutes. 

The mix should be light and fluffy like this. 

Add in 2 eggs and vanilla. Thats right, you see 3 but add 2! This batter was for more than just the upside down cake. 

The batter should be frothy and bubbly now. Incorporating air this way ensures you have a light cake. 

In a separate bowl, whisk and combine the 3/4th cup of flour and 1 tsp of baking powder. Add that to the wet ingredients. Gently fold it in so it is well combined. Please do not over-mix or the cake will be bread-y in texture. The batter is now ready. You can chose to add crushed pineapple to the mix if you chose. 

Transfer the batter to the baking pan with the pineapple and caramel. Make sure you fill about 3/4th of the pan not more cause the cake will rise. 

Smoothen out the top as best as you can. Tap the pan on the counter to get rid of the air bubbles. Place it in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes till the cake is set. Insert a toothpick in the middle and if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready. 

My home was smelling amazing by this time. The aroma of caramel permeating and I could smell that pineapple grilling. Ohh yumm!! I knew I was in for a treat! After removing the cake from the oven, let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes till it gets a chance to set. Too long and the caramel will stiffen and your cake wont come out of the pan. The beauty of this cake is that as it cooks it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan. Take a look at this, the edge has come away from the pan.  

After allowing to rest it for 5 minutes, invert the plate you'll be serving your cake in over the cake pan. 

Deftly and carefully, flip the cake pan and tap the bottom so the cake loosens and comes out on the plate. Voila!! 

Pineapple upside down cake is ready! 

A glistening top as promised. The best part is the dark caramel-y bit right here near the cherry! This tastes like pineapple and toffee and cherry.... It was to die for! I ofcourse scooped it out as soon as possible and ate it up! 

Cut through very carefully. If you haste the cake will fall apart. Allow it to cool down a little first. I know how difficult that can be. I was literally tapping my foot restlessly cause I wanted to jump right in! 

Gorgeous perfection. And that crumb!! 

The cake was so moist, so soft, so spongy because of the air we incorporated earlier. Incredible really! 

Make it asap please. It really is one of the best cakes ever. Indulge! 

This is from when I made the cake for the first time ever. Another picture with a flash on- Yikes! What was I thinking!