We have eaten pineapple upside-down cake in the past and it is usually made with canned pineapple rings. It was made in cast-iron pans, in electric skillets, as well as the standard cake. Dole did a great marketing campaign in the 1920s to sell their canned pineapples to the homemaker and pineapple upside-down was a very popular cake was great for parties and potlucks.
But we have fresh pineapples available at our local markets and at farmers markets almost all year round, so living in 91直播, there seems to be no excuse why we can’t make this popular cake with it.
Briana Holt of Portland Maine’s Tandem Coffee + Bakery created a moist, tender and sturdy cake, using fresh pineapples. She added buttermilk with cornmeal for texture and flavor, ricotta cheese for tenderness and moisture, and cooked the fresh pineapple to remove the moisture that would make the cake soggy. Once you use fresh pineapple instead of canned pineapple, you will see that the fresh flavors taste much better than the dull flavors of canned. The cornmeal flavor comes out as the bully in this cake.
Fresh Pineapple
Upside-Down Cake
Tandem Coffee + Bakery
Serves 12
In a nonstick skillet over medium-high, combine:
2 tablespoons salted butter
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Add:
Eight 1/4-inch thick fresh pineapple rings, about 1 pound, cut into quarters (I don’t have a pineapple cutter that would make rings so I just cut the pineapples into 1/2-inch thick, 1-1/2 inch pieces.)
Cook, stirring often, until softened and caramelized and the liquid has nearly evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer the pineapple and butter mixture to a 9-in x 2-in round nonstick cake pan misted with cooking spray.
Distribute the cooked pineapple chunks in a single, even layer in the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes while you mix the cake batter.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes:
6 tablespoon butter
1 cup sugar
Reduce to medium, add, scraping the bowl between additions, then beat until combined, about 1 minute:
2 large eggs at room temperature, one at a time
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
1-1/4 cups or 162 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
In a small bowl, mix together:
5 tablespoons or 45 grams fine cornmeal
1/2 cup or 140 grams whole milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
With the mixer on low with the butter/sugar mixture, add the cornmeal-buttermilk mixture, then beat until just combined, about 30 seconds — the mixture will look curdled. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients and mix just until the batter is evenly moistened, 20 seconds; the batter will be thick. Using a spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and give the batter a few folds to ensure no pockets of flour remain.
Remove the cake pan from the oven and carefully scrape the batter onto the hot pineapple, then spread in an even layer and smooth the surface with the spatula . Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around the pan to loosen the cake, then invert it onto a serving platter. Cool to room temperature.
Pineapples have always been synonymous with 91直播 and even when you order a “91直播an pizza,” it will probably have pineapples as one of the toppings. Actually the wild plant originates from the Parana-Paraguay River drainages between southern Brazil and Paraguay. It spread throughout South America. It is believed that the first pineapples were washed ashore from a 16th century Spanish shipwreck.
Many in my generation worked at 91直播an Pineapple Company (which became Dole Food Company) during the summer. It was a summer job that needed high schoolers for summer workers. However the decline of the industry in 91直播 was due to the foreign-based canneries with labor costs 1/10th of those in 91直播, the cannery in 91直播 closed in 1983. Today, 75% of the world’s pineapples come from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
The nutritional values of eating pineapples include 79-97 mg of vitamin C, 1.5 mg manganese, 22 grams of carbs, and 2.3 grams of fiber. The enzyme bromelain breaks down proteins, which in turn eases digestion. Bromelain also helps reduce swelling and bruising and the flavonoids and phenolic compounds in pineapples combat oxidative stress. Because of the high vitamin C content, sailors brought them on their long voyages to prevent scurvy.
We see many pineapple plants growing in yards around town. They are easy to grow by placing the crown in water until it roots, then in the ground. After a few years, I finally have a pineapple coming up from my plants.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
