Pineapple Upside Down Cake

A recipe from The Joy of Baking.  Somehow, you can never go wrong with recipes from this site.  And it was well worth the effort of getting/slicing a fresh pineapple.  (Tip from Gordon Ramsey - if you are choosing a fresh pineapple, see if the leaf from the centre of the head can be plucked off.  If it does it means the fruit is ripe to eat )

While this is a great cake, I might not make it again unless the kids are visiting.  Too much butter and sugar.  Having said that.. if you have made the cake, have it with a dollop of cream.  It will only add to the 'deliciousness'

Ingredients -

(Leave butter and eggs out about 1-2 hours to bring to room temperature)

The topping :

Butter - 55 gms - unsalted butter. Cut in cubes ( 1/4 cup)

Light brown sugar - 160 gms ( I used the ordinary sugar) ( 3/4 cup)

Pineapple - 1 medium.  Peeled, cored, cut into halves/quarters

Candied Cherries (optional)

Batter

All purpose flour - 195 gms ( 1 1/2 cup)

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Unsalted butter - 113 gms (1/2 cup) 

Granulated sugar - 200 gms ( 1 cup)

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Eggs - 2 large - separate yolks and whites

Milk - 120 ml ( 1/2 cup)

Cream of tartar - 1/4 tsp - I didn't have this - gives stiff peaks of egg white

Prepare the topping first

Before that.  Grease or spray the cake tin ( large) and sides

Place sugar and butter in a pan and heat. Stir.  The butter will melt and the sugar was supposed to dissolve, but did not quite happen... 

Stop stirring and then allow the mixture on heat for a few minutes till it begins to caramalise 

Remove from heat

Pour into the cake tin.

Arrange the pineapple pieces on the sugar mixture. If using cherries those can be placed too.

The Cake Batter 

Sieve the flour, baking powder , salt into a bowl

Beat the egg white into stiff peaks

Preheat oven to 180 C

Cream the sugar and butter till fluffy.  Add vanilla extract

Add egg yolks one at a time.  Keep beating the mixture

Add flour in three portions.  Alternating with milk. Dry ingredients to be added last

Gently fold the egg white into the flour mixture in two portions.

Pour the batter into cake tin. Smoothen the top

Bake for about 45 minutes.  Till cake is golden brown and knife placed in centre comes out clean

Remove and place on wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes

Run a knife along the sides to loosen the cake

Invert cake on to a serving plate. 

Enjoy - slightly warm - with cream.  Without cream, it is still good and less fattening :-)