Last weekend was my dad's 50th birthday. For years he's requested a pineapple upside down cake to celebrate. We usually break out a box of yellow cake mix, a jar of maraschino cherries and a can of sliced pineapple and whip up a generic, yet delicious upside-down cake. The kind of cake that I imagine 1950s housewives made to serve alongside a meal of tuna noodle casserole or beside a jello mold at holiday parties.
Since this blog has given me reason to challenge my baking skills, I knew I couldn't just whip up the cake from a box. So, I did a little research and found this recipe. It's a little classier, a little boozier. The canned pineapple is replaced with a fresh ripe pineapple. Yet, it tastes very similar to the original (minus the blinding red cherries).
This recipe also gave me a good lesson in cost vs. convenience. I bought a fresh, whole, uncored pineapple, on sale for $2.99 for the cake. The more convenient, already cored pineapple goes for $4.99. Thinking I could save $2, I bought the whole pineapple, took it home, and began hacking away at it with a rather large bread knife (probably not the right knife for the job, but I made do). The result was an almost square shaped pineapple with a similarly squared middle (So much for neat, concentric rounds of pineapple). I ended up cutting the pineapple into chunks and arranging it into a very organic design on top of the cake. So, if you want a prettier cake, splurge and go for the cored pineapple.
Pineapple Rum Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Gourmet, February 2000
(the original recipe calls for 3 tsp. of cardamom in the batter, I chose to leave it out.)
Topping:
1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
Batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake
Special equipment: A well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet. If you lack a cast-iron skillet of this size, make the caramel in a small pot and scrape it into the bottom of a similarly-sized cake pan. (Not wanting to risk using a not-so seasoned cast iron skillet, I used a 9″ cake pan).
Preheat oven to 350°F.
To make the topping: Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, four minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly.
To make the batter: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)
Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet five minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.
Serve cake just warm or at room temperature. Can be made one day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
