In 1926, when the Hawaiian Pineapple Co. sponsored a “cooking-with-pineapple contest,” cooks across the country mailed in thousands of recipes.
Nearly 2,500 had the same idea: Arrange pineapples in the bottom of a skillet with butter and brown sugar; cover with a yellow cake batter and cook on the stovetop. When the cake is slightly cool, invert it to reveal a golden crown.
The company, now known as Dole Food Co., chose a winning cake recipe and heavily promoted it to sell more canned pineapple, a relatively new grocery item in those days. One of the beauties about upside-down cakes is that canned fruit works as well as fresh, which is especially convenient during mid-season for our favorite fruits.
To this day, the pineapple version remains the queen of upside-down cakes. But there are other jewels in the court, such as upside-down gingerbread with apples.
No matter the combination, upside-down cakes are quick and easy to prepare, with the result an ambrosial treat that sometimes oozes, sometimes crunches, always satisfies.
The sweet simplicity of the cakes comes from an earlier time. Donna Skidmore, consumer service manager for Dole, speculates that the tradition of skillet cooking in the late 1800s, when few had home ovens, led so many in the recipe contest to create the pineapple cakes.
“Skillet cakes were very big. People would put a variety of special ingredients on the bottom of the pan and then top with a flour mixture,” Skidmore said. “I think pineapple became popular because of the sweetness and the nice caramelized flavor you get when you bake a pineapple.”
Today, we’re as likely to use baking pans as iron skillets and are more likely to bake in the oven rather than on the stovetop. But the cakes still rely on the basic concept of caramelizing fruit and sugars. That works best on the bottom of the pan because direct, even heat allows the juices to pool and thicken, creating a sheen to cover the cake. The cake benefits not only from such a dazzling topping but also from cooking in the fruit juices, which makes it very moist.
UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE GINGERBREAD WITH PRALINE CREAM
Preparation time: 55 minutes
Cooling time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 9 servings
This cake is from Terry Thompson’s “A Taste of the South.” The gingerbread is a perfect dark cake for upside-down combinations, and the praline cream sauce gives this matchup a subtle Southern finish.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon each: baking soda, ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, cut in 1/4-inch slices
1 large egg
1 cup each: molasses, boiling water
Praline cream, recipe follows
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl; stir and set aside. Stir together 3 tablespoons melted butter and 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar; spread in bottom of greased and floured 9-inch square baking pan. Place apples over sugar mixture; set aside.
2. Cream 1/2 cup of the butter and remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar on medium speed in large bowl of electric mixer until light, about 4 minutes. Add egg and beat just until blended.
3. Combine molasses and boiling water in separate medium bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed butter alternately with molasses mixture in 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour. Beat just until blended. Pour batter evenly over apples; bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run knife around edge; invert onto serving plate. Cool 30 minutes, slice and serve with praline cream.
Praline cream: Combine 1 cup whipping cream, 2 tablespoons each confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, and praline liqueur or Frangelico, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in large bowl of electric mixer. Beat on high speed until mixture holds soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 2 1/2 cups.
Nutrition information per serving, with 1 tablespoon praline cream:
Calories ……… 425 Fat ……… 17 g% calories from fat .. 36
Cholesterol …. 35 mg Sodium …. 440 mg Carbohydrates …… 63 g
Protein ……… 4 g
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooling time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Here’s an adaptation of the original winning recipe in the 1926 “Cooking With Pineapple” contest. We found it in Jean Anderson’s “The American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century.”
Topping:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple rings, drained, patted dry,
2 tablespoons juice reserved
7 maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry
Cake:
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon each: finely grated lemon zest, vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1. For topping, melt butter in 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar, spreading evenly. Lay 7 of the pineapple rings in skillet and place cherry in center of each. (Save remaining pineapple rings for another use.)
2. For cake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Cream butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar in large bowl of electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to medium; beat in egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla and juice. Stir together sour cream and 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice in small bowl; set aside. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed butter alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, beating after each addition just to blend.
3. Beat egg whites and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in separate bowl of electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Pour evenly into skillet; bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 minutes. Cool cake on wire rack in pan 10 minutes. Run knife around edge to loosen; turn out on serving plate. Set any dislodged pineapple back into place. Cool 1 hour.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……… 455 Fat ……… 19 g% calories from fat .. 38
Cholesterol …. 60 mg Sodium …. 520 mg Carbohydrates …… 67 g
Protein ………. 5 g
BANANA WALNUT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Maple syrup helps marry the bananas and walnuts for a taste combination that’s hard to beat in this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine.
Topping:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 large ripe bananas, peeled, cut diagonally in 1/4-inch slices
Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons milk
Sweetened whipped cream, optional
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. For topping, combine sugar and butter in medium saucepan; stir over low heat until butter melts and mixture is well-blended. Pour into 9-inch cake pan with 2-inch sides. Spread to coat bottom of pan. Pour maple syrup over sugar mixture and sprinkle on nuts. Place banana slices in concentric circles on nuts, overlapping slightly and covering bottom.
2. For cake, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in bowl of electric mixer on high speed until creamy, about 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in three additions. Spoon batter over bananas. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to cooling rack. Run knife around sides. Cool 30 minutes. Place plate over pan; invert cake. Let stand 3 minutes; lift off pan. Serve with whipped cream.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……… 500 Fat ……… 18 g% calories from fat .. 33
Cholesterol …. 80 mg Sodium …. 270 mg Carbohydrates …… 83 g
Protein ……… 5 g
