Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Both my sister and dad's birthdays are in October so every year I bake a cake. I'll spend a few weeks looking for inspiration and this year I decided on a pineapple upside down cake.

You will need a 9" round cake pan (I used a spring form pan to make the upside-downing a bit easier), electric mixer, rubber spatula, cutting board and knife, and 3 bowls (2 small, one large). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the middle.

Pineapple Upside Down Ingredients
1/2 pineapple, cut into little chunks (I sliced it into 1/2" thick pieces and then cut into fourths or eights)
1/2 stick of butter, melted (just microwave it; no need to be fancy and do it on the stove)
2/3 cup light brown sugar, pack it into the measuring cups

Cake Ingredients
1-1/2 cups of flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
---------------- sift these ingredients together in a bowl
1 stick of butter, softened (I usually let a stick sit out on the kitchen table for a day or two and just forget about it)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs (let these come to room temperature so the butter doesn't seize)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk

Start by making the pineapple upside down part of the cake. Mix the brown sugar and melted butter until it makes a paste and spread it in the bottom of the cake pan. Dry any excess juice off of the fruit with a paper towel and then arrange the pineapples in the bottom of the pan, using smaller pieces to fill in gaps to make sure as much surface area is covered. Press them into the sugar mixture.

make sure it's evenly coated

doesn't have to be perfect

Set the pan aside and assemble the batter. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs (one at a time) and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and milk, in thirds, until the batter is smooth and just combined.

creamed butter and sugar

batter's up!

Pour the batter over the pineapples in the pan and spread evenly. Give the pan a little jiggle to make sure there are no air bubbles or lumps.

Bake the cake for about 35 to 40 minutes. The cake is really dense so watch it carefully towards the end of the baking time. Check if it's done by sticking a toothpick in the batter. If it comes out clean, pull the cake out and let rest. If there's batter on the toothpick, keep baking!

Let the cake cool for a few minutes before flipping it out onto a platter or cake dish.

tada!

For bonus points, serve with ice cream.

Bon appetit!