I’m turning thirty!!! The big three-oh is a pretty significant milestone and as such I wanted to carve out some time to celebrate with the woman who made it all possible; my mom. So, I went home to the farm last weekend for some wreath making, some nap taking, and a homemade birthday cake.
When she asked me what kind of cake I wanted, I really had to dig deep. You see, I eat a lot of cake in my spare time and it has therefore become a little too commonplace. I wanted something relatively easy for her to make, something a little unusual, and something that would bring back fond memories. For those of you who attended Quinte Secondary School in the late 90s and early 2000s you’ll no doubt remember a certain math teacher who made an exceptional Pineapple Upside-down cake. Her cake was so good that it made us sit up straight, pay attention, and even do our homework. This pineapple upside-down cake isn’t anything like hers (alas I don’t have the recipe), but if you’re looking for a simple upside-down cake that will come together quickly and is sure to please, the Betty Crocker recipe below is for you.
Pineapple Upside-down Cake
¼ cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
9 slices pineapple in juice (from 14-oz can), drained
9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
1 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or coconut oil
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
1 egg
Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.