Pineapple Upside Down Cake

After an unplanned and inexplicable hiatus I seemed to have taken from blogging, it seemed only fair that the daily market jolted me back to reality with its seasonal offerings.

A few days ago, while on my way back home from work, I crossed an unsuspecting fruit vendor and my spidey sense (okay fine, my sense of smell) tingled. Pineapple was back in season!

An excited jig in the middle of the road and an awkward eye avoiding walk later, I bought a pineapple home. It was only understandable that the first order of the day with respect with this fruit would be the sweet yet tart, soft and soul satisfying Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Makes : A 7 inch Delicious Round Cake
Difficulty : Moderate
Preparation Time : 10-15 minutes.
Cook Time : 40 minutes.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp of Honey
• 4-5 Pineapple Slices
• 100 grams of Butter
• 75 grams of Castor Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract/Essence
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup Milk

(Excuse the tardiness, that Demerara Sugar isn’t to be there. I’ll explain later)

Slice up the Pineapples, making sure the thickness is moderate. Neither too thin, nor too thick.

With the knife or a cutter, cut out the round core in the middle. Please don’t be impatient like me. Atleast try to make a round cut (No. I didn’t even try. I really wanted cake. *hangs head down*)

Yes, so this was the point where I attempted to make caramel for the cake topping, which for the first time, turned out very very wrong. Burnt sugar sticking onto the saucepan mostly. Total heartbreak.

So thinking on my feet decided to interchange the caramel with the honey. The thought of honey soaking through the yellow cake got me up and excited again!

First, grease the cake tin with butter. Pay special attention to the sides. I used a 7 inch round cake tin.

When done, pour out the honey onto your cake tin and make sure it evenly covers every inch.

Arrange the round pineapple slices in the cake tin. Additional gaps can be covered up by similarly sized chopped pineapple chunks.

At this point, preheat your oven at 150 degrees.

In a bowl, dump in your butter and sugar. Beat till pale and fluffy.

I cut down some sugar here because I didn’t want the cake to be overly sweet, since the honey would soak through and provide some additional sweetness on its own.

Though if sweetness makes you clap your hands, go ahead an add 100 grams instead of 75 grams at this stage.

Add in the eggs.

The lovely vanilla to add flavour and counter the egg-y taste.

Fold in the flour into this runny butter- sugar – egg mixture.

The batter will become a little stiff, which is when the milk comes in.

Add in 1/4 cup of milk and mix. If it makes it to a state when its pour-able, you’re done.

If not, add in the remaining 1/4 cup of milk. And that should do it.

I needed the entire 1/2 cup of milk to reach that pour-able consistency.

Once achieved, pour this batter into the cake tin above the pineapples. Smooth out the top and pop it into the oven.

Bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.

40 minutes later, this amber coloured loveliness emerges. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes.

Once cool, run a knife along the edge to help release the cake.

Place a plate above the cake tin, and very confidently flip the cake tin over on to the plate.

Slowly and gently, remove this cake tin to see this beauty emerge.

Cut generous slices of this cake, and notice that honey soaking through those crispy edges.

You know what to do. Serve along side some vanilla ice cream.

That wonderful marriage of vanilla ice cream base, sweet honey, tart pineapple bits and warm and airy cake will keep you hooked.

I’m off to buy another pineapple again before they go off season.

I suggest you do the same.