Pineapple upside-down cake puts to use an ancient baking technique started centuries ago when cakes were cooked in cast iron skillets and therefore called skillet cakes. Early skillet cake recipes used seasonal fruit that was available such as apples or cherries. Manufacturing of canned pineapple began in 1901 when Jim Dole started Hawaiian Pineapple Company (now Dole Company), and in 1911 Dole began producing pineapple rings, which bakers quickly found worked well in skillet cakes. In the early 1920s the name “upside-down cake” began to be used for skillet cakes with a caramelized fruit bottom.
Recipe Servings: 9
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Total Time
55 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 9 slices of canned pineapple rings
- 5 maraschino cherries
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup shortening
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup milk
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the butter in an 8-inch square baking pan and set it over low heat to melt. Once melted, sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.
- Arrange the pineapple rings in a single layer on top of the brown sugar, making three rows of three.
- Cut the maraschino cherries in half and place a half (cut-side up) in the center of each pineapple ring. Set pan aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the mixture aside.
- Mix together the shortening, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer.
- Blend in the flour mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir only until just combined after each addition.
- Pour the batter carefully into the pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Run a knife around the edge of the pan and cover it with a serving plate. Invert the cake onto the plate. Leave the pan over the cake for several moments to allow the syrup to soak into the cake.
- Remove the pan and serve
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