Author’s Note
The pineapple upside down cake shot to popularity after the invention of canned pineapple in the 1900s. In 1925, the Hawaiian Pineapple company (now Dole Pineapple) sponsored a contest calling for pineapple recipes. It is said that 2,500 of the 60,000 submissions were recipes for pineapple upside down cake. This classic favorite is made with canned pineapple and maraschino cherries and is served upside down. The idea of cooking a cake upside down is a technique that started centuries ago when cakes were cooked in cast skillets. It was easy for cooks to add fruit and sugar in the bottom of the pan and a simple cake batter on top and put it over the fire to cook.
This popular retro cake gets a contemporary makeover here. Instead of canned, I use fresh pineapple rings and then top them with fresh cherries. Even better, I make them in single- serving mini bundt pans. The batter for these cakes make them somewhat denser. Nevertheless, they are buttery and tender with caramelized pineapple toppings that seep in, as well as drips down the cakes making them luscious. These upside down mini pineapple bundt cakes are definitely a scroll-stopper.
Recipe
Ingredients
| Pineapple Layer | |
|---|---|
 | ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter |
| ⅓ cup dark brown sugar |
| 6 (¼ inch-thick) slices fresh pineapple, cored |
| Cake | |
|---|---|
| 1 ½ cups cake flour |
| 2 teaspoons baking powder |
| ½ teaspoon salt |
| ½ cup milk |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla |
| ¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened |
| ¾ cup sugar |
| 1 large egg |
| 1 egg yolk |
Special equipment: Mini non-stick bundt pans
Instructions
| Pineapple Layer | |
|---|---|
| Generously grease 6 mini bundt pans |
| Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat. Add brown sugar and cook, whisking, until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute |
| Divide among bundt pans (about 1 ½ tablespoons per pan) |
| Put 1 pineapple ring in each pan |
| Cake | |
|---|---|
| Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit |
| Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl |
| Whisk together milk and vanilla in separate small bowl |
| Beat butter and sugar in another large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes |
| To the butter and sugar mixture, add egg yolk and the whole egg one at a time, beating well after each addition |
| Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined |
| Divide batter evenly among pans. I like to do it with an ice cream scoop |
| Bake the mini cakes for 25 minutes. They should be puffed and pale golden. A wooden skewer inserted in the center should come out with a few crumbs sticking to it. |
| Cool the cakes for 20 minutes |
| Loosen the sides with a thin knife and invert onto plates |
| Serve the cakes with fresh cherries on top |
Note: If you don’t have mini bundt pans, you can bake it in a 9 inch cake pan
Inspiration: My love for fresh pineapples, why not use them in a dessert?
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