Food Friday--Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I may have mentioned in the past that we are weird people.  None of us is really fond of chocolate.  We don't really eat much in the way of candy.  When I cleaned and organized my refrigerator a couple of weeks ago I threw away half of a pie and most of a red velvet cake--not because they weren't good, they were very good--we just don't eat that much junk food most of the time.  I have a small container of ice cream that I bought for my son's birthday three years ago and about half of it is still in the freezer.

But when it comes to pineapple upside down cake, we will devour it in just a few days.  If I would let us, we would just sit there and eat the entire thing warm from the oven.  I won't let us do that, but boy is it tempting.  :)

Needless to say, this is a cake that is greatly enjoyed by all of us.  I adapted a butter pecan cake recipe that I have had for so long I don't even remember where it came from (it was good, too, but this is better).

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

What you need:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour  (I use unbleached, though bleached flour works just as well)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum free if possible)
1 teaspoon salt (If you use salted butter, you probably don't need to add the extra salt)

1/2 cup of butter, softened (I use unsalted)

2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (If you can afford it, please use the real stuff, not the imitation.  It's so much      better!)
1 cup milk

For the 'topping':
1 stick of butter (again, unsalted)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 20 ounce can of pineapple (I use crushed, but whatever makes you happy is fine)

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 13 x 9 glass baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt  one stick of butter.  Once it's melted, add in your brown sugar and stir well.  Add in your pineapple (if using crushed or chunks.  If using rings, just add the juice from the pineapple and place your pineapple rings in the baking dish) and stir until all of the brown sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and pour into the baking dish.

Pineappley-sugary-buttery goodness

Now, take your dry ingredients and put them into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add in the butter, 2/3 of the cup of milk and the vanilla.  Beat on low speed for about one minute.  (If you don't have a stand mixer, use a large bowl and a hand mixer.)

Next, add the remaining milk, and the eggs and beat on low for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on high speed for one minute.

This batter is thick, but spreadable.

Now, carefully scrape the batter out of your mixing bowl and onto the top of your pineapple-butter-brown sugar mixture.  This batter is thick~ish, so you will have to spread it carefully over the pineapple mixture. Just take your time and you will be able to cover most of the pineapple.

Partially spread

You don't have to cover everything.  As long as it's mostly covered, it will be fine.  

After your cake batter is evenly spread and covering as much of the pineapple mixture as you can, put it in the oven for 45 minutes, then check it with a toothpick.  It is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If after 45 minutes, it's not done, bake it for another 5 minutes and check it again. The exact time varies depending on your oven, but be careful not to overcook it or the cake will be dry.

Just try to resist me!  

Remove from the oven and let cool for at least an hour before enjoying.

I'll eat that if you don't want it!