National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day

Cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Topping:*

• 1 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 can (20 oz) of pineapple slices

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp cake flour
• 6 Tbsp of ground almonds (from about 2 oz of whole almonds)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream

METHOD

1 Start by making the caramel topping. Take brown sugar and butter and combine and melt in a saucepan on medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly, this should take several minutes. (After sugar melts, don’t stir.) Pour mixture into a 10 inch diameter stick-free cake pan with 2 inch high sides. Arrange pineapple slices in a single layer ontop of the caramel mixture.

2 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk the flours, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the sugar and butter together until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream in 2 additions each, beating well after each addition. Pour cake batter over caramel and pineapple in pan.

3 Bake cake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Simply Recipes

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

The term ‘upside down cake’ wasn’t used very much before the middle of the 19th century, but the style of baking probably dates back much further, probably to the Middle Ages.

The early recipes for fruit upside down cakes were made in cast iron skillets on top of the stove.

The classic American ‘Pineapple Upside Down Cake’ dates to sometime after 1903, when Jim Dole invented canned pineapple.

The Hawaiian Pineapple Co. (now Dole Pineapple) held a pineapple recipe contest in 1925, with judges from Fannie Farmer’s School, Good Housekeeping and McCall’s magazine on the judging panel. The 100 winning recipes would be published in a cookbook the following year.

Over 60,000 recipes were sent in, and 2,500 of them were for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. So it is obvious that between 1903 when canned pineapple was first available, and 1925 when the contest was held, Pineapple Upside Down Cake had become a very popular item.

The Hawaiin Pineapple Company ran an ad campaign in 1926 based on the fact that so many recipes for the cake had been submitted, naturally making the Pineapple Upside Down Cake even more popular.

Related:

• (1925 winner of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company Recipe Contest)
• PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Creamy Rice Pudding

Prep Time: 25 Min                 Cook Time: 20 Min                 Ready In: 45 Min

I wanted a snack the other day and thought I would try this recipe. It turned out really nice. Thick and creamy yet not to sweet, perfect!

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups milk, divided

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup golden raisins (Optional)

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. In the same saucepan combine cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon, if desired. For creamier pudding, use short or medium grain rice.”Serve warm.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Blueberry Banana Muffins

I’m always looking for what to do with those last couple of bananas that never seem to get eaten. You know the ones, those pretty, long, yellow things you bought at the store to eat but now lay on the counter turning black, and they are way to disgusting to think about eating anymore. We all have them from time to time and thank goodness we do because they are the bananas that generally end up in that good old reliable banana nut bread and other tasty recipes. Recipes like these blueberry banana muffins. These muffins are very moist and full of blueberry banana flavors. Muffins are a great treat to have with that morning cup of coffee or to grab on you’re way out the door.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup  unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 med ripe bananas, mashed well

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners, butter, or spray with a non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

If using frozen blueberries, remove 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss it with the frozen blueberries.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Mix well. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Gently stir in the blueberries, the batter should be thick and chunky. Remember don’t over mix the batter. You don’t want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins with a ice cream or muffin scoop.

Bake about 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for five minutes and then remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

Drop Biscuits

Servings 12

Prep Time: 15 Min    Cook Time: 15 Min    Ready In: 30 Min

I love these biscuits. They are tender, fluffy, and ohhh so tasty. Not to mention how easy they are to make.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup melted butter (frozen butter)

1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. All dry ingredients should be mixed thoroughly before adding liquids. Whisk Stir in butter and milk just until moistened. (Variation: freeze the stick of butter and grate it (using a box grater) into the flour mixture. Gently mix with flour mixture, then add the milk. This process will yield a very flaky biscuits.) Drop batter on a lightly greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon. I use a medium ice cream scoop.
3. Bake in preheated oven until golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve warm

Note: To make them a little more savory you can add fresh herbs, or a 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.

Enjoy!