Please, before reading the rest of this post, know that this cake breaks all the rules. Every single one. Its composition is simply butter, sugar, eggs, flour, a little rum... you get the idea. But you know what? I DON'T CARE. Besides, I ran 4.3 miles at a 8:22 pace this morning. So I will eat some damn cake, thank you.
But will you just LOOK at it for a minute? It is absolute show-stopping perfection! It's my newborn child! I wish I could have seen my own face after flipping it over and unveiling the surprise. There's a certain anticipation about baking an upside-down cake. You hope you let it cool long enough. You hope it doesn't break in half when you turn it out. You hope it looks nice and pretty and tastes good. When all of this happens just the way you wanted it to, it's a magical moment. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
So, why did I subject myself to a quest for perfectionism and loads of saturated fat? Several reasons. (1) I like to bake. (2) Sometimes I like to be bad. (3) I have a luau-themed party to attend, hence the pineapple.
Long story short, please bake this cake. Mischief loves company.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
-adapted from Gourmet-
Ingredients for topping:
1 can pineapple rings
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
Ingredients for batter:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. ground cardamom
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
Directions:
To make topping: Preheat oven to 350. Cut the pineapple rings each in half. Melt butter in a cast-iron skillet and add brown sugar. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat and arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in a circle design, overlapping slightly.
To make batter: Sift together the flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Beat in pineapple juice, then remaining flour mixture, just until incorporated. (The batter may appear slightly curdled.)
Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, 45 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto the plate, keeping them firmly pressed together. Replace any pineapple stuck to the bottom. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp more rum and cool. Can be served warm, room temp, or refrigerated overnight.