Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, a site that a friend of mine turned me onto that has some truly fabulous recipes. I was looking for a pineapple upside down cake that used fresh pineapple rather than the canned version because fresh pineapple seems to be a fruit that cruisers have on their boat frequently and I happen to love it. This recipe is great because it uses a pre-cooked caramel on the top (or bottom if you're making it) and it makes all the difference in the world with the fresh pineapple. Just ask the group of The Assembled here at the marina - the cake is already gone before it even cooled completely.




Topping:


1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced or use the Pineapple Slicer
3/4 stick of unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar



Prepare the pineapple and set aside.

If you have a cast iron skillet, melt the butter and brown sugar in it till bubbly and smooth, about 4 minutes.

Arrange the pineapple slices in the caramel sauce.
If you don't have a skillet, do this in a separate pan and transfer to 9" round baking pan or 8 x 8" pan and arrange the pineapple.







Batter:


1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 Tbl dark rum for sprinkling over cake




Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl with a whisk. Set aside. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. I don't have an electric mixer on board so I do everything with a whisk. Don't be intimidated by this. It just takes a little more muscle.









Add eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla and rum. Mix well.

Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and beat till creamy. It will be thick.

Add the pineapple juice and mix well again. The batter will look slightly curdled at this point. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix well.

Pour over pineapple and caramel and spread gently so as not to disturb the pineapple.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or till cake tester comes out clean and cake is golden brown. Cool on rack for 5 minutes. Put plate on top of pan or skillet, and holding both together firmly, turn over. Let sit for a minute to allow caramel to drain onto cake.

Lift off pan and scrape any pineapple that stick off and replace to cake. Sprinkle with remaining rum. Allow to cool till just warm and serve with dollops of whipped cream or chill and serve with ice cream.





Mmmmmmmm........