The Kitchn: Retro pineapple upside-down cake is so easy
It is hard to overstate how simple yet stunning pineapple upside-down cake is. This cake has retro charm, but it's a classic whose appeal hasn't waned since it first appeared on the home baking scene. It starts with a rich butter cake that, once removed from the pan, reveals a design of caramelized pineapple rings studded with maraschino cherries. Each bite is little treasure chest of flavor: tender cake, mingled with the sweet and slightly tangy notes of pineapple and cherry.
The thing about pineapple cake that makes it so beloved is that it is dead simple to make at home. The fruit for pineapple upside-down cake is canned, meaning you never have to worry about it being in season, and you don't need to know any special baking techniques to make this cake successfully at home. We're also putting some pineapple in the batter by using the pineapple juice in the cake batter! Because, hello, the juice around those pineapple rings is sweet and full of flavor, so why waste it? You'll need a cup to blend into the batter, which will leave you with just a few ounces for a cocktail or smoothie.
Key steps for pineapple upside-down cake
--Cook and cool the brown sugar topping before making the cake batter. Butter and light brown sugar make up the glaze that bakes at the bottom of this cake. It holds the pineapple and maraschino cherries in place once the cake has cooled. Do this step first before arranging the pineapple and cherries on top of the glaze.
--Dollop, don't pour the batter. The batter for this cake is quite thick! Avoid knocking the pineapple and topping around by scooping the batter into big dollops on top of the fruit and then gently spreading it out with a spatula.
--Cool the cake slightly before removing from the pan. The hardest part of making pineapple upside-down cake is the maneuver which turns the bottom of the cake pan into the top of the cake. Cooling the baked cake slightly before flipping it allows the topping to cool and stick to the cake before turning out.
Doing the perfect flip
Once your pineapple upside-down cake is baked and slightly cooled, you'll need to flip the cake out onto a serving plate. First, pick a low plate or cake stand. Then run an off-set spatula or thin butter knife between the cake and the pan. Set the serving plate over the cake pan and flip the two together. Now let gravity slowly drop the pineapple cake out of pan; banging or thrusting the pan may break the cake, so have a little patience here! Finally, if any pineapples or cherries have slipped out of place, gently nudge them back where they belong.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
...continued
