Pineapple Upside Down Cake

The Origin of Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Once upon a time, in a small kitchen in the heart of the Caribbean, there was a young baker named Juan. Juan was known for his amazing desserts, but he had a bit of a quirky personality.

One day, Juan was whipping up a cake for a special occasion. He had all the ingredients ready to go, but just as he was about to start mixing, he noticed that he was out of the one thing he needed most: sugar.

In a panic, Juan searched through his pantry and found a can of pineapple and a jar of maraschino cherries. Eureka! He thought to himself, "I'll just put the pineapple and cherries on top and make it a pineapple upside down cake!"

Juan mixed up the batter and poured it over the fruit. But as he was putting the cake in the oven, he tripped and the batter spilled all over the floor. Juan didn't want to waste the ingredients, so he picked up the cake pan, turned it upside down and put it back in the oven.

When the cake was done baking, Juan was pleasantly surprised to find that the fruit and syrup had settled on top of the cake, creating a delicious and beautiful dessert. From that day on, Juan's Pineapple Upside Down Cake became the talk of the town and he was never again in short supply of sugar!

The end.

P.S. The true origin of pineapple upside down cake is believed to date back to a pineapple recipe contest in the 1920's!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices
• Maraschino cherries
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whole milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a 9-inch round cake pan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar until combined.
2. Drain the pineapple slices and reserve the juice. Arrange the pineapple slices on top of the sugar mixture in the pan, placing a cherry in the center of each slice.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and pineapple juice, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour the batter over the pineapple in the pan.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm.

Enjoy your delicious Pinapple Upside Down Cake!