Pineapple Upside Down Cake
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| An American Classic |
I found this specialty cake pan ---including the typed recipe--- among my late Aunt Shirley's kitchen items when we cleaned out her condo. She enjoyed baking and making candy, and had an assortment of vintage items like jello molds and other 70'- 80's novelty desserts.
Nordic Ware still makes a cake pan like this. But my research says that her yellow one is probably from the 80's when they ran a national ad. Here is a clipping from 1982 in the Pittsburgh paper, which could be how my aunt Shirley acquired hers.
It turns out that upside-down cakes have been popular for centuries. They were first made in cast iron skillets, with a topping melted in the pan, then a cake batter added. When done, the pan was turned upside down and the round cake would have a beautiful syrupy topping.
However, the ubiquitous one we know today came about in 1925. Dole Pineapple wanted to promote the use of their pineapple slices and held a contest. And marachino cherries had just been "invented" by the Oregon cherry industry.
In the beginning, the cake was made from scratch. But by the 80's a store-bought cake mix was standard.
We chose a Duncan Hines Yellow Cake mix. The recipe only calls for half of the mix, so I made a bonus cake with mandarin oranges. But you could make cupcakes or mini-loaves, too.
---Barbara
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup bown sugar
7 slices pineapple (No. 2 or 1 lb. 4oz can)
2 T. of juice from the can
Marachino cherries
1/2 of the batter from a white or yellow cake mix*
Cake mixes usually take 3 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, and 1 cup water
*use the 2nd half of the cake batter for a 2nd cake or cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Even though the photo doesn't show it, I would recommend cutting up the butter into small pieces and spread around the cake pan. Add the 2 T. of juice from the can of pineappple slices. Spread the brown sugar around the cake pan.
Place in the oven and let the butter and sugar melt. Remove.
Arrange the pineapple slices --- one in the center and 6 more around the edge in a circle.
Remove the stems from 7 maraschino cherries and place them in the center of each pineapple slice.
Prepare the cake mix per the package directions.
For best results, I recommend using room temperature eggs, and thoroughly mixing the eggs, oil and water before adding the dry cake mix. I sifted the cake mix, which can become compacted from sitting on the store shelf. All of these steps will make a lighter, flufflier cake.
Using a measuring cup, add two cups of batter to the prepared caked pan. Carefully spread it all over the tops of the pineapple and syrup until you only have batter on top, and no syrup showing.
Use the remaining batter, which is about 2 more cups to make another cake, or cupcakes or miniloaves.
Bake for 35 minutes and test to see if it is done by inserting a toothpick. It will come out clean when the cake is ready. My cake took 40 minutes. But it could take as long as 50 minutes, depending on the depth of your cake pan. Likewise, if your pan is very shallow, it could take less time.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. The cake will pull away from the edges.
Invert on to a serving plate.
Allow 2-3 minutes before removing the pan.
Serve warm with whipped cream or at room temperature which is how we prefer to serve it.
We liked the ratio of pineapple topping to cake but you could use a whole cake mix (4 cups of batter instead of 2) if you like more cake.
B