Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
By Paula Deen
JUMP TO RECIPE
Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 15
Ingredients
- 3 cups plus more for pan cake flour
- 1 cup softened, plus 1/2 cup, melted butter
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups whole buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 (20 oz) cans drained well (reserve 2 tablespoons juice for frosting) pineapple slices in juice
- 1 (10 oz) jar drained well maraschino cherries
- 1/2 cup softened, for frosting unsalted butter
- 3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
- chopped for garnish, optional pecans
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour.
In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the 3 cups of 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 1/2 cup melted butter equally over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar. Reserve remaining pineapple slices and cherries for another use.
Pour equal amounts of batter over the fruit and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
To assemble the cake, carefully arrange 1 cake layer, pineapple side up, on a cake plate. Carefully stack the remaining cake layer, pineapple side up, over the first layer. Frost the sides of the cake with Pineapple Buttercream Frosting. Press chopped pecans into sides of cake, if desired.
Pineapple Buttercream Frosting:
Beat 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice and confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl until well combined.
Yield: about 2 cups
