Pineapple Upside Down Cake : Thanksgiving Dessert, Thanks to Jenni

It’s Thanksgiving week and almost everyone is into pumpkin pies and traditional Thanksgiving foods. And that is all fine and delicious. I’ve even infused Asian cooking into regular side dishes I’m making for Thursday. But if you have to make dessert, make this Pineapple Upside Down Pound Cake, a recipe by my food blogger friend and pastry chef by profession, Jenni Field.

Last week, Jenni published on her blog, PastryChefOnline this wonderful Incredibly Edibly Delicious Pineapple Upside Down Pound Cake. I told her it was my husband’s favorite, a most requested cake at home, which I usually make in the summer. She urged me to try it now in the fall. Well, I followed her advice and more. I decided to bake it for Thanksgiving week.  And gosh, I was glad I listened to Jennie.

This Pineapple Upside Down Pound Cake is not just the old fashioned traditional version we’re all used to. It is richer. It is moist. Its natural pineapple flavors go deep down each slice and send off a sweet, wonderful fruity aroma from the oven. And when you turn the cake upside down to get the right side up, the decadent caramel trickles down on all sides of the pineapple cake.

 

 

Thanks Jenni, for a foolproof, fabulous cake. This one will definitely be a keeper and will go straight to my stash of favorite recipes. And in keeping with Thanksgiving, thank you, Jenni for being a great foodie friend, your helpful tips, generously sharing your cooking and baking expertise, and all the encouragement and support.

A perfectly good Pineapple Upside Down Pound cake…it’s just the thing for Thanksgiving and any holiday dessert!

 

Delicious Pineapple Upside Down Pound Cake

* Recipe from Jenni Field, the PastryChefOnline

 

For the Caramel-Pineapple Layer

6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature (salted is ok)

¾ cup packed dark brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup crushed pineapple ( fresh or canned in juice)

 

For the Cake:

1 and ½ cup unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 and ½ teaspoons vanilla

1 gently rounded teaspoon sea salt

5 Eggs, beaten

2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup pineapple juice

¼ cup sour cream

 

1.      Make sure all refrigerated ingredients are at cool room temperature.

2.      Spray a round Bundt-type pan with pan spray. Flour it well, and tap out all the excess flour.

3.      Position oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350F.

 

For the Caramel Pineapple Layer

1.      Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.

2.      Add the sugar and salt, and stir until dissolved.

3.      Let the mixture come to a boil. When nice and bubbly without any butter sloshing around the edges of the sugar, pour evenly into the prepared pan.

4.      Arranged the crushed pineapple on top. Set the pan aside.

For the Cake

1.      Whisk together the cake flour and baking powder in a bowl, till combined. Set aside.

2.      Cream the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl when needed.

3.      Separately, blend well the pineapple juice and sour cream.

4.      With the mixer on medium speed, add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Incorporate well. Stop to scrape down sides of the bowl as necessary.

5.       Separately, blend well the pineapple juice and sour cream.

6.      Add the pineapple juice and sour cream mixture to the beaten eggs. Blend these well.

7.      Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet, mixing on low just until each addition is incorporated. Begin and end with dry for a total of 3 dry additions and 2 wet additions.

8.      Spoon batter evenly over the caramel-pineapple layer in the prepared pan.

9.      Smooth the batter, and bake in the preheated oven for about 55 minutes or till done.

10.  Remove cake from oven and cover with a piece of foil. Let sit for 45 minutes, then turn out onto the plate you’ll be serving it on.

11.  Spray a parchment circle with pan spray and press onto the caramel layer. Wrap the whole cake well with plastic wrap. Let cool in the refrigerator.

12.  Serve this cake at room temperature.

 

 

Jenni Field is an extraordinary chef. She’s able to take the simple ingredients and make them into fantastic dishes. And she generously shares on her blog, her tweets and posts helpful recipes & answers to any recipe-related question.  I met Jenni on the blogosphere when we were tweeting, checking each other’s blogs, and eventually cooked together in some virtual cooking challenges.

Hop on over to Jenni Fields fabulous blog, PastryChefOnline  where she tells you more about this Incredibly Edibly Delicious Pineapple Upside Down Cake. You’ll never want to leave. There’s good recipes , her ongoing pastry & baking video series,  stories of her pets and related works of charity, and so much more.