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Cooking @ Home: Pineapple Upside Down Cake
A simple boxed cake mix gets elevated to a delicious dessert
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Sometimes I want to spend a lot of time and attention on making a cake from scratch, getting every ingredient just right and lavishing it with time and attention. But other times, I want to take advantage of the miracle of modern science that is perfectly represented by the boxed cake mix.
There is some disagreement in the historical record about how boxed cake mixes were seen throughout history. Some sources say that they fell out of favor because they were perceived as not being “real” baking and not taking enough effort on the part of the baker, a problem ostensibly solved by psychologist Ernest Dichter, the man who coined the phrase, “focus group,” with his understanding that adding fresh eggs would make the process feel more involved.
But I have also heard that this is an urban legend, and the real driver behind cake mixes was the decorating you could now spend your time doing instead of trying to perfect your baking technique.
I don’t know which of these stories is accurate, but I’m not above taking a little inspiration from both. This recipe uses a yellow cake mix as a base, with some additions and modifications both for flavor and texture, as well as some decoration work to make things look a little fancy. Sure, you can make a pineapple upside down cake in a 9 by 13-inch pan, but the bundt pan looks a little nicer. Replacing the water in the cake mix with the pineapple juice and blended pineapple rings left over in your can of pineapple gives the whole cake a subtle tropical flavor that’s hard to beat.
Recipe
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes
Serves 16
Ingredients
Cooking spray
Flour to coat
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple slices, juice reserved
16 maraschino cherries
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (13 1/4-ounce) box yellow cake mix
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° (or 325° for a dark-colored pan). Spray the bundt pan lightly with cooking spray and coat the inside evenly with flour. Be sure to get all the nooks and crannies.
Pour the melted butter into the pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Cut 8 pineapple rings in half to make 16 halves and arrange into the bundt pan, alternating with the maraschino cherries.
Use a stick blender to blend the remaining pineapple slices with the pineapple juice. You should have a cup of liquid (possibly a little more). If you don’t have a full cup, add water to make that much. Mix with the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract, then add the cake mix. Beat until well-combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Pour the batter over the fruit, then bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of one side of the cake comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate right away while still warm. Leave inverted. The cake will release on its own – when it does, lift the bundt pan away. Allow to cool completely before serving or storing.
Source: Alex Gallegos
Alex Gallegos is an enthusiastic home cook who enjoys trying new recipes and learning new techniques. Find this recipe and others like it at PlatefulsOfFlavors.com.
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