Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Homey comfort food from the first bite! I love this economical, easy cake. It bakes up in a cast iron skillet for simplicity (you can use a 9” X 9” pan if you don’t have a cast iron skillet). This is the go-to cake when you need a little something sweet but don’t want big cake leftovers. Sweet and satisfying, fruity and just-enough. Perfection!
Notes and Tips:
- If you are not using a 9-10” cast iron skillet (or other oven proof 9-10” skillet) make sure the sides of your cake pan are high enough to accommodate any topping that might bubble up. Alternatively, place a lined baking sheet on the next rack under the cake to catch any potential drips.
- You can use any fruit that you want; I like to use strawberries in place of maraschino cherries to avoid the red food dye. You can use blueberries, blackberries, etc.
- This recipe has a generous amount of topping because that’s the way my grandmother made it and I like the sweetness! Feel free to dial back the sugar by ¼ cup if this cooks up too sweet for you.
- You can add dark brown sugar to lend a nice molasses undertone to the topping, but it will make the topping look dark. I like to mix it 50:50 with light brown sugar when I use it.
- Use oven mitts to flip the cake onto the plate at the end, as the skillet/pan will still be oven hot. But you need to flip the cake out of the pan as soon as the ingredients settle enough to stop bubbling. If you don’t there is greater chance for the topping to stay in the pan and destroy your careful fruit placement!
- 4 tbsp Butter (1/2 stick)
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
- 2.5 cup Pineapple (Rings or fresh chunks)
- Candied Cherries (optional, or fresh Strawberries, halved)
- 1.5 cup All-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
Preheat oven to 350°F
Drain excess liquid from fruit.
- Melt butter for the topping in the skillet or pan over low heat.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, mixing thoroughly.
Add brown sugar and spread evenly throughout the skillet or pan.
Arrange the fruit in a single layer, nestling it into the brown sugar.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
With your mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly with each addition.
Spoon in 1/3 to ½ of the flour and mix briefly to incorporate into butter mix.
Add ½ of the milk and mix briefly.
Continue alternating dry ingredients and milk, ending with flour.
Mix on medium for about 2 minutes. Batter should be thick and smooth.
Spoon batter onto topping, being careful not to disturb the fruit arrangement. Smooth the top with a spatula or knife.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until top is light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and let rest for 2 minutes. If necessary, loosen the sides from the pan with a knife or a spatula.
Immediately place serving plate over the top of the cake and, in one quick motion, invert the cake onto the pan. Careful, the glaze will be very hot! Reposition any fruit that may have become dislodged.
Let the cake cool down to room temperature. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate if there are leftovers.