Pineapple Pomegranate Upside Down Cake

  • Pineapple Pomegranate Upside Down Cake

    I flashed back in time and pulled out the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (you know the one- the one with the red and white gingham-checked cover), and realized that I have been spending way too much time online and not in the 1950s where I think things were probably better and simpler.  [I know I couldn’t have written a desserts blog back then, but maybe I’d have a weekly baking club where ladies would come over and wear cute aprons and drink during the day and stuff.  Come to think of it, that would be annoying because then I’d have to clean a lot and I probably couldn’t wear my pajamas in front of all of the ladies who’d expect me to be in full dress and makeup while whipping up a Creme Brûlée Meringue Cake or whatever.]

    So anyways, the internet vs. good old fashioned cookbooks.  Even though Google is so good to me (how else would I be a world-class procrastinator?) by linking me to 307 billion different recipes, I am realizing the value in the old-school books.  Yes, the recipes from the olden days are quaint and real and tasty and usually easy (all sounds good, no?), and even reading a more modern cookbook just feels so much more authentic than surfing the internet for inspiration.  (I usually feel cheap and used after an hour online, whereas reading a real cookbook seems so okay.  Discuss.)

    Enjoy this old classic cake.  I added pomegranate molasses because I wanted to be a little bit 2015, but whatever.  Skip it if you want and add in some toasted pecans and maraschino cherries.  Just like when the ladies wore house dresses, then changed into dressier dresses when their husbands came home.  Barf.

    Adapted from Better Homes & Garden’s recipe…

    1/4 cup butter

    1/2 cup packed brown sugar

    1 8-oz can pineapple slices, drained

    1/4 cup pomegranate molasses

    1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

    2/3 cup sugar

    2 teaspoons baking powder

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    2/3 cup milk

    1/4 cup butter, softened

    1 egg

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, optional for garnish

    1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 x 1-1/2″ round cake pan in oven.  Stir in brown sugar, place pineapples in pan, and drizzle pomegranate molasses in spaces and holes between pineapples.  Set aside.
    2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add milk, 1/4 cup softened butter, egg, and vanilla.  Beat on low speed (in stand mixer or with beaters) until combined.  Beat on medium speed for 1 minute; spread in prepared pan over top of pineapple goo.
    3. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Loosen side of cake; invert onto plate.  Cool 30 minutes; serve warm. If desired, garnish with pomegranate seeds.

    Tips:

    • I forgot to get the pomegranate seeds to sprinkle over the top (with vanilla ice cream!).  It would have been ideal, to really drive home the whole pomegranate molasses thing.  Next time.
    • Pomegranate molasses?  Yes, I know, it can be hard to find.  It’s really good and worth ordering online though.
    • This cake makes no sense from a science and technique point of view, but it works.  Usually you have to cream the wet ingredients and then add the dry- but back in the 50s I guess they didn’t know shit like that.  And it so doesn’t matter.  The texture is great!  Screw all of the new-fangled steps and rules.
    • Check out this kick ass deviation from the BHG website: Hawaiian Upside-Down Cake… Prepare as above, except stir 1 tablespoon rum or 1 tablespoon water plus a few drops rum extract into the melted butter and brown sugar mixture.  Substitute chopped toasted macadamia nuts for the pecans (which I omitted- supposed to be 1/2 cup) and add 2 tablespoons toasted flaked coconut to pan with the nuts.
    • Enjoy!

     

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    June 6th, 2015 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: ,

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