How to Make Pineapple Upside-Down Cake like Ad-Hoc

Not sure who originally thought of this kind of cake, but what an idea. So, I honestly knew very little about this cake so I did a little digging about it’s history and according to the Alto Harley blog, “pineapple upside down cakes date back hundreds of years to when people would cook over oven fires with cast iron skillets. When they wanted a sweet treat, they would line the bottom of the pans with fruit, and pour batter on top. When the cake was ready, the pan was flipped over, revealing the gorgeous pattern of caramelized fruit on the top.”

It’s a nice change up from traditional cakes, and glad that we now have modern technology so we don’t have to do this over an open flame! Because that sounds like a campfire meal that I wouldn’t want to make. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Cookbook – Ad-Hoc

Ingredients –

Pan Schmear –

Unsalted butter – 8 tbsp – 1 stick – at room temp
Honey – 1 1/2 tbsp
Dark rum – 1/2 tsp
Light brown sugar – 1 cup, packed
Vanilla paste, or pure vanilla extract – 1/4 tsp
Salt

1 Gold Pineapple

Cake

Cake flour – 1 1/2 cups
Baking powder – 2 tsp
Unsalted butter – 8 tbsp – 1 stick at room temp
Granulated sugar – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Vanilla paste, or pure vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
Large eggs – 2
Milk – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Tools –

Step 1 – Make the Schmear

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, honey, rum, brown sugar, vanilla, and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread about 1/3 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9 inch pan, sprinkle lightly with salt.

Step 2 – Cut the Pineapple and Place

Cut the top and bottom of the pineapple and cut away the peel. Cut the pineapple length wise into quarters, cut off the core from each section. Cut each piece into about 1/8 inch pieces Beginning at the perimeter of the pan, make an over lapping ring of pineapple slices with the curved side facing out. Make a second ring over the first, overlapping the slices in the opposite direction. Repeat until you reach the center.

Feel free to eat the remaining pieces, you will not need them for this recipe.

Step 3 – Make the Cake Dough and Spread

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix the flour and baking powder, set aside.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on low to combine, then beat on medium for about 3 minutes. The mixture should be light and creamy, scrape down the sides as necessary. Mix in the vanilla, add one egg at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the second. Beat in the milk. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly on top of the pineapples. Make sure to spread evenly, the pineapples may shift slightly, but do your best. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges, invert onto a serving platter and serve! Thats it, definitely one of the quicker recipes on the blog so far.

The cake can be stored at room temperature for about 2 days, but for longer if in the refrigerator.

And for the ratings –

Difficulty of ingredients – 3/5 stars – Probably a normal trip to the store
Perceived difficulty – 2/5 stars – some technique involved, but very do-able
Difficulty after recipe – 2/5 – Nothing too tricky about this one except maybe if you are cutting a pineapple for the first time
Time taken – 3/5 stars – Less than 2 hours – most of the time is during baking
Taste – 4/5 stars – It snowed the day we had this, but it was 75 degrees the day before and after, so even though we were in the middle of summer, it was quite cold and a warm summer cake seemed to really hit the spot
Make again – 3/5 stars – Maybe for a certain occasion – it tasted great, but it’s kind of a weird thing to have sitting around all the time