Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

From the iconic pineapple rings to the bright red cherries to the fluffy yellow cake, pineapple upside-down cake is one of the most recognizable retro American desserts. Back in the 1920s, the Dole pineapple company sponsored a contest for pineapple recipes. The winner by far was pineapple upside-down cake, inspiring the company to run an advertisement with the recipe, and increasing the cake’s popularity exponentially! It is competitions such as those put on by big names like Pillsbury and Betty Crocker that gave us peanut butter blossoms and French silk chocolate pie. But chocolate desserts aside, this tropical fruit dessert not only connected American households to one of Hawaii’s top crops, it also contributed to a completely new way of sharing recipes. Rather than using community-run cookbooks or word of mouth, the same recipe could spread from Portland, Oregon, to Knoxville, Tennessee, through paper publications and ingredient labels. And today, through beautiful blogs…

What is an upside-down cake?

True to its name, an upside-down cake is baked so that the eventual top of the cake is baked on the bottom. After the cake is ready, it's inverted onto a serving platter with the glistening caramel-covered fruit or nuts eliminating any need for frosting or other decorating. A nice dollop of whipped cream or ice cream over a piece of warm cake would put this dessert over the top! Usually made in an 8- to 10-inch cake pan or skillet, this recipe uses a 13x9-inch cake pan for a large sheet cake that will feed a crowd.

How do I make sure my upside down cake doesn’t stick?

The number one way to make sure a cake does not stick is to properly prepare the pan. While using a baking pan with nonstick coating does help, sometimes you want a little extra assurance when dealing with sticky caramel and finicky fruit. An easy, no-fuss way to grease a pan is to use baking spray with flour. A nice rubbing of butter and a thin coating of flour also does the trick. In order to keep the fruit in place and protect the caramel from sticking, line the bottom of the pan with parchment. A smooth stovetop caramel is also key to the perfect upside-down cake. This recipe uses reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch to ensure the caramel stays nice and velvety.