A Day For Mothers

Mothers come in all shapes and size. Some have kids, some take care of animals and some take care of other people in various ways. In other words I don’t think you have to have children to be a mother. So to all those who nurture and care and help, I’d like to express my appreciation with a warm Happy Mother’s Day wish! If you know someone you’d like to do a little something for this Mother’s day I have an idea. Why not bake them a cake? Not just any cake and certainly not a cake from a box. A cake with a little history and a cake that has been loved by Americans since the early 1900’s. I’m talking about the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Like most of my recipes it’s easy to make a very delicious. Of course if you don’t like pineapple then I guess you could make this cake with any one of your favorite fruits, just as they did before the Hawaiian Pineapple Company invented a machine that cored, cut and peeled pineapples and made them ready to can in 1901.

In the 1800’s people use to make “skillet cakes” in cast iron skillets over a fire or on the stove. Many people didn’t have ovens yet but the cast iron made the cakes perfectly. Adding fruit to the cake mixture and turning it out to reveal the caramelized goodness was always a proud moment for the cook (unless it stuck to the pan!). In 1925 the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (now Dole) ran a contest asking people to submit recipes with pineapple in them. Of the 60,000 recipes received over 2500 were for Pineapple upside down cake. These cakes became very popular in America in the 50’s and 60’s and are now making another comeback. I know the pineapple trade along with a few other tropical fruits have come under fire for unscrupulous business practices, so try and look for fair trade pineapples if you can. This helps the farmers and the land. Ok let’s get baking!

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You’re going to need a few things for this recipe since I want to make it in an authentic way. One is a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Another is of course pineapple that has been cored, sliced into rings and peeled. I’ve seen self service devices at some supermarkets that do it for you and other markets sale pineapples they’ve cut and cored. You can always go with canned if a fresh one isn’t available. According to what I’ve been told pineapples don’t ripen after being picked like many other fruits. You want to look for one that has a good weight for its size, smaller scales and a lighter color on the bottom than the top. That should get you a sweeter tasting one. A lot of people like to use the maraschino cherries in the centers, I’m thinking for the contrast or just because they fit in the hole. I really don’t like them as they taste fake to me. In this recipe I borrowed an old Texas idea and used pecans in the middle of my pineapple circles. I’d imagine it would taste just fine with nothing in the middle also. To give the batter a little extra zing I’m using sour cream as well.

• Preheat oven to 350
• Topping ( starts out as the bottom)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 6 circles of pineapple (depending on how many fit)
• Ok you can put cherries into the center if you want.
• Cake
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter soft/ room temp
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• In a 10 inch cast iron skillet add the 6 tablespoons of butter and the brown sugar and powdered ginger. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is mixed in evenly.
• Remove from heat and arrange as many pineapple circles or chunks as you can, so that they lay flat and look somewhat uniform.
• Add the cherries or pecans if desired.
• Set skillet aside and start making the batter.
• Sift or throughly mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another larger bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg yolks one at a time and mix throughly.
• Add the vanilla
• Next add the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream until everything gets well incorporated.
• If you have a little pineapple juice its ok to add a tablespoon or two as the batter is going to be rather thick. (don’t add water or milk)
• Spoon the batter onto the top of the pineapple sugar mixture.
• Using the back of the spoon smooth the batter evenly over the entire mixture.
• Place in the preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Be careful not to over cook it as the sugar mixture will burn.
• Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge to release any parts that may have become stuck.
• Let the cake cool a little ( at least 15 minutes) before placing the serving dish on top of the skillet and flipping it over.
• Serve warm.

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I’ll have to say turning the cake over and having it come out in one piece is a great feeling. I’ve had them break before and they still taste great so don’t worry. If your skillet is properly seasoned, there’s enough butter on the bottom to keep it from sticking ninety percent of the time. This cake does bring back memories for me. Did your family have pineapple upside down cake when you were growing up? If so, let us know your experience. I also think this cake is worthy of a comeback so let’s try and make it happen! As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below and I’ll get to them as soon as I can. If you make the cake please let me know how it comes out. Until next time Boone Appétit!