Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
April 20th is National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day! Pineapple Upside Down Cake tastes best when made in a cast iron skillet but can also be made in regular cake pans. The cast iron skillet creates a caramel, crusty topping that makes it ten times better than a pan recipe. Most of the ingredients are already in the average pantry! This is an easy, fun spring dessert to make for any event!
Ingredients:
*Makes 2 cast iron skillet cakes or 1 13” x 9” cake
Cake Batter:
- 2 ¼ cups of Cake flour (Don’t have cake flour? Check out the Tips section below!)
- 1 ½ cups of white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup of shortening
- ½ cup of cold, unsalted butter (cut into thin slices)
- ¾ cup of milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
Topping:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cups of packed, light brown sugar
- 20 oz can of pineapple rings
- Jar of maraschino cherries
Things you’ll need:
- Cast Iron Skillet, or 13” x 9” pan
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Hand mixer
- Decorative pan or plate for the cake to be transferred to.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare topping by putting ¼ of a cup of butter in the cast iron skillet.
- Put cast iron skillet in oven until butter is melted, around 2 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle 1 cup of the light brown sugar over the butter.
- Drain pineapple rings (save the juice!).
- Gently place pineapple rings into the brown sugar mixture and place a maraschino cherry in the middle of every pineapple ring.
- Start to prepare cake batter by combining all of the batter ingredients in a large mixing bowl, start to mix at a low speed until all ingredients are incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Increase speed to medium and mix for about 5 minutes, scrape the side of the bowl as needed.
- If cooking in a cast iron skillet, separate the batter evenly into two bowls (it’s okay if there are small butter chunks in the batter).
- Carefully, but quickly, pour batter over the pineapples. Don’t pour onto one spot, evenly spread the batter across so that you don’t mess with the pineapples.
- Bake for 30 minutes if using a skillet. If using a pan, bake for 35- 40 minutes. The sides should be bubbly and the top will be golden brown. Put a toothpick in the center to ensure the batter is fully cooked.
- Take out of the oven and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Place a plate or decorative pan over the skillet. Using oven mitts, invert the cast iron skillet onto the plate.
Tips:
- If you don’t have cake flour, sift 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour but take out 4 tablespoons. Replace with 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- If you’re in a rush, you can also use a box of yellow cake mix. Baking time may vary, but it’s the same process.
- You can also add small amounts of your leftover pineapple juice to make the cake spongy and moist. Be careful not to add too much or you’ll have a runny cake.
- If you are making 2 cast iron cakes, you can just wipe down the skillet after the cake has been transferred and start the process over again.
Hello! My name is Kamryn Jasch and I am a junior at Canyon High School. I am new to Canyon this year and I recently moved from Thornton, Colorado. I love...