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Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
  • 1 t. kosher salt divided]
  • 3/4 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1/4 to 1/2 t. ground allspice it's peppery
  • 5 T. fine yellow cornmeal I blitzed some regular yellow cornmeal in my blender to get a finer texture
  • 3/4 C. buttermilk I used whole milk curdled with some lemon juice
  • 1/2 C. whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 8 T. salted butter cut into 1 T. pieces, room temperature, divided
  • 3 T. packed dark brown sugar
  • 8 one-quarter inch thick fresh pineapple rings cut into quarters
  • 1 C. white sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • Whipped cream for garnish optional
  • Berries for garnish optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and position the cooking rack in the middle of the oven. Use a 9 inch by 2 inch round cake pan for this recipe. Spray the pan lightly with cooking spray.
  2. Whisk flour, 3/4 t. salt, baking powder, baking soda and allspice in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. Whisk the cornmeal, buttermilk and ricotta cheese together in another bowl. Set aside.
  4. Heat a non-stick skillet (12 inches) on your stove at medium-high heat. Put 2 T. butter, brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 t. salt into the skillet and stir until the mixture is bubbling. Add the sliced pineapple to the skillet and cook it until it is caramelized and softened. This will take about 10 minutes. The liquid from the pineapple and the butter mixture will have pretty much evaporated by the time your pineapple is cooked. Be sure your pineapple is cooked to the point that it is soft; this will make it much easier to cut pretty slices of the cake when you serve it. Also, a little golden brown color on the pineapple makes for a pretty presentation.
  5. Arrange the pineapple quarters in one layer in the bottom of your prepared cake pan. Put the pan into the oven and bake this part of the dish for about 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the batter.
  6. Using your stand mixer and the paddle attachment, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and the white sugar on medium speed until the ingredients are well mixed and the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes.
  7. Add the eggs one at a time to the batter. Scrape down the sides of your mixer bowl after the addition of each egg.
  8. Turn your mixer speed down to low and add the buttermilk and cornmeal mixture. Beat the batter for about 30 seconds. Your mixture will look a little curdled (don't worry about that!) and scrape down the bowl.
  9. With the mixer speed still set at low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. This will take about 20 seconds and you will end up with a thick batter. Scrape the bowl with a spatula and fold the batter a few times to be sure the batter is well mixed.
  10. Take the cake pan (with the pineapple) from the oven and pour the batter carefully over the top of the pineapple. You will want to have an even layer of batter over the pineapple, so use a spatula to even things out.
  11. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. You want the cake to be a golden brown on the top and you want a skewer stuck into the center of the cake to come out clean.
  12. Cool your cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. When it is somewhat cooled, carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen up any bits that might be sticking.
  13. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving dish. Cool to room temperature and serve.This is quite good topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Refrigerate any leftovers.
  14. Cook's Note: The spicy flavor of the allspice will mellow quite a bit by the second day.