Pineapple Upside Down Cake
I remember marveling, at my Mother’s ingenuity, the first time I saw her create a pineapple upside down cake. I had trouble understanding this whole idea of baking the cake upside down and was even more amazed when this golden beauty appeared, once she lifted up the cast iron skillet and exposed a cake topped with the almost bronzed rings of pineapple, each decorated with a red maraschino cherry, all encased in a delicious mix of brown sugar and butter, that dripped down the sides of the cake; she was a genus!
If you are looking for a great addition to your Easter dinner or any other gathering this spring, and you find yourself short of time or energy to start something fabulous and complicated, from scratch, consider the time tested wonder of a simple skillet or upside down cake. I prefer pineapple; however, caramelized apples, peaches, pears, or any other hearty compote of fruit could be used to create a desert that while perhaps not as ubiquitous as it once was, is always well received and delicious served warm, at room temperature, or with ice-cream or whipped cream. If you would like to update the notion of the upside down cake, of your childhood, you could serve it with a fresh fruit salad of pineapples and cherry’s, drizzled with orange juice, pomegranate paste or syrup and lightly sprinkled with ginger; also a nice pineapple sorbet or sherbet would enhance the flavors of the cake.
Skillet cakes have been around at least since the 19th century; the addition of pineapple came in the 1920’s and 1930’s when pineapple became readily available, with maraschino cherry’s joining in, soon thereafter, creating a quick, delicious, and charming presentation of a cake which is always welcomed.
Use any white or yellow basic cake recipe, and yes this includes a boxed mix, which if that is the way you go, consider using the canned pineapple juice to replace the water, called for in the recipe. What the makes the cake delectable is the well buttered pan, covered in brown sugar, layered with pineapple and then topped with cherries. Pour the batter over the pineapples, bake, remove from oven, to a cooling rack, for a few minutes, and while still warm invert onto serving platter, making sure the gooey sugary syrup drips down over the cake. Enjoy!
