The window is open, someone is mowing the lawn sending the smell of fresh cut grass and gasoline soaring which is making my endorphins do all sorts of wild things. We’ve finally made it. Both physically and metaphorically. I certainly hope the weight of the winter won’t carry itself into the Spring and Summer months. There’s just too much to be done.
But, when life deals us with a card that we had no intention of facing, we always do have baking. We always have a 350 degree oven and a mind for folding, whisking, etcetera. And while we are there, I think we should continue to visit the more nostalgic treats of our childhoods. The dessert that always seemed to be cooling against grandma’s open window, or the one that your mom could whip up when a boy was mean. I’m here to say, I’m living for the Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It has both whimsical and realistic qualities. A simple butter-based cake that is fluffy and light and ready to take on a sticky slice of pineapple and a dripping maraschino cherry. We are finding all of the positives here while we eat our fruit serving in cake form.
When making the batter, I like to whip the butter and sugar together until white. This step is crucial to making the perfect crumb for this cake. It allows so much air into the batter without having to fold in egg whites or add any additional leavening. So, whip until fluffy. Then, whip until white. And, because this is a butter-based cake… we are really going to make room-temp eggs the priority. If they dare to be too cold, the butter will seize, losing all the progress we just made in the whipping process. Look, I don’t make the rules, butter does.
And, we are going to take the extra step to add the flour mixture in three parts alternating with the buttermilk; starting and ending with the flour, as the story goes…
So, by the time you get your finished batter – it’s light, fluffy, and smooth. It’s wanting for nothing but to be put on top of a prepared baking dish filled with butter, browned sugar, and the aforementioned fruit.
By the time we’ve put in all that work and our feet are just about ready to give up on us, we can sit back and watch the timer move at snail speed. The good news is there is cake at the end of this particular journey. Not to mention, a cake that can be eaten warm, in fact, I encourage it. I also encourage drizzling said cake with caramel sauce if you have it on hand. Not a necessity but neither is cake. So, let’s just do it. Together. Ready, set, bake.
Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Fall deep into your nostalgic feelings with this caramely-sticky mess of a cake!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
12 Pineapple Slices
12 maraschino cherries, no stems
|| Batter ||
1 cup butter, room temp
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, room temp
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temp
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While preheating, place the 1/4 cup butter into a 9″ x 13″ pan and place in the oven until it’s melted. Remove pan from oven, and evenly sprinkle the brown sugar onto the melted butter. Arrange the pineapple slices on top of the melted butter and put a maraschino cherry in the middle of each pineapple slice. Set aside.
In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter, and vanilla together on medium/high for a few minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy and white in color. While mixing on low, add the room temperature eggs one at a time just until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture in three additions starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter on top of the pineapple-lined baking dish and spread evenly. Place the cake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a dish or a sheet of parchment paper. Drizzle with caramel sauce if desired.
Keywords: cake, desserts, pineapple
