Pineapple Upside Down Cake

A retro classic.

Serves 8

Fruit

• 10 pineapple rings, fresh or canned

• 1⁄2 c brown sugar

• 1⁄4 c unsalted butter

• 1⁄4 t kosher salt

• Maraschino cherries

Cake

• 1 1⁄2 c flour

• 3⁄4 c sugar

• 1⁄4 t kosher salt

• 2 t baking powder

• 1⁄2 c butter, soft room temperature

• 2 t vanilla

• 2 eggs

• 1⁄2 c milk

• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare the fruit, in a 9” cast iron skillet, combine the sugar, salt and butter. Cook over medium high heat until the butter and sugar have melted, about 3 minutes. Lay the pineapple rings flat in the pan. If they don’t all fit you can overlap them, or cut slices into pieces to fill in gaps. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, until pineapple has softened slightly and sugar has begun caramelize. Place cherries in the center of the pineapple rings. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the milk. Mix until just combined, don’t over mix. Dollop batter over pineapple and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until cake is golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out with only a few crumbs attached. Remove the skillet from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Place a large serving platter over the skillet and carefully invert the skillet over the platter. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.