Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

It was Nathan's birthday this week. When he realized that the 100th episode of Psych (he and his brother's favorite show), he decided he wanted pineapple upside-down cake. Apparently there is something to do with pineapple on the show and the main character once made a pineapple upside-down cake in an easy bake oven!

I haven't had pineapple upside-down cake for years, and I'm not really sure I've ever made it. I did a quick internet search and Paula Dean's recipe came up. I figured you couldn't go wrong with a Paula Dean recipe. And I was right--the cake was heavenly. It was moist and delicious, and everyone devoured it. It made me wonder why we don't make it more often.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

(Recipe from Paula Dean)

3 c. flour

1 c. butter, softened, plus 1/2 c. melted

2 1/4 c. sugar

5 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 1/4 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 cans pineapple slices

1 jar maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 (10-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour. (I think mine were 9-inch, which is what the recipe calls for, but they overflowed a bit in the oven and 10-inch would be so much better.)

In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the brown sugar evenly into each pan. Pour the melted butter equally over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar. Pour equal amounts of batter over the fruit and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes (mine took close to 50). (Also, I would put a baking sheet in the bottom of the oven to catch any drips from the brown sugar.) Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert one onto a cake plate, then invert the second one on top to create a 2-layer cake.