Warm pineapple upside-down cake will melt in your mouth. This recipe serves about eight.
Ingredients:
2 tsp. plus 1/4 c. softened butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
8 oz. canned pineapple - drained
6 maraschino cherries - halved
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. finely chopped or grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt 2 tsp. butter in a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Stir in the brown sugar and 1 tbsp. water.
- Arrange the pineapple (cubes or slices) and cherries evenly in the pan, in any design you like.
- Set the pan aside.
- Stir the flour, sugar and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add milk and the remaining butter, along with the egg and the vanilla.
- Add the lemon zest, cinnamon and lemon juice.
- Beat the mixture with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are basically combined, then beat on medium speed for about a minute.
- Transfer the batter into the pan containing the pineapple. Be careful that you don't disturb your fruit design.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.
- Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and turn over onto a plate.
- Serve warm.
Tips:
Try using fresh instead of canned pineapple, or use a fruit besides cherries; strawberries, blackberries and figs are all tasty possibilities.
Garnish the top of the cake with crushed pineapple or a pineapple spread.
Warnings:
Allow the cake to cool before attempting to remove it from the pan. If you don't, the cake may stick.