pineapple upside down cake

I had to try my first upside-down cake after hearing about a really easy family recipe on a forum. It didn’t come with a picture. But it sounded sweet, indulgent, and delicious. It was a way to use the maraschino cherries that have been sitting uselessly in my fridge for way too long. And what’s not to like about a cake that you get to flip over when its done to reveal a colorful mystery topping.

I adapted it slightly using the version on simply recipes. Here’s a tip! Don’t bake it in a springform pan like I did. Terrible idea. All the caramel sauce leaked out onto the bottom of my oven and started burning.

Recipe:

Caramel Sauce Topping:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

The Cake:

• 1 can of pineapple rounds in juice
• maraschino cherries
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup veg oil

1. Get out a round cake pan about 10″ in diameter / 2″ tall.

2. In a small pan on the stove, melt 1/2 cup of butter and stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Add vanilla, and maple syrup if desired. Pour the sauce into the bottom of the pan.

3. Take 7 slices of canned pineapple and place them on top of the sauce in the pan (1 in the middle and the other 6 around). Place the Maraschino cherries in the center of each slice.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.

5. Now start the cake batter. Beat 6 egg yolks with 1 cup of sugar until slushy. Most recipes call this mixture “fluffy” but I think it’s more slushy.

6. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and beat well.

7. Beat the egg whites until firm in a separate bowl with a pinch of salt.

8. Add the flour to the yolks, sugar and oil and beat, adding some of the egg whites.

9. Finish by folding in the rest of the whites with a rubber spatula. Don’t overmix! Pour the batter over the pineapple slices slowly.

10. Put in the oven and cook for 40-50 minutes or until golden and cooked. Watch it carefully as the large amount of eggs make this a delicate cake.

Thanks to Ana for this recipe!