Pineapple

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I have always loved fresh pineapple, but have never tried cutting one up on my own. I got reacquainted with fresh pineapple over Easter this year at a neighbors house – and boy, was it good. A few days later I decided it was time for me to tackle cutting up a fresh pineapple.

Pineapple Upside Cake
– preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1-1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3-1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
  • 2-2/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups cane sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1-1/2 cup whole milk + 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
1 – Place the butter in a 9×13 glass baking pan – place the pan in the oven to melt the butter.
2 – Once melted sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter – followed by an even layer of pineapple chunks. Set the pan aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt – mix by hand with a whisk.
Add: oil, milk and vinegar mixture, eggs and vanilla. Using a hand mixer mix on low for 30 seconds just to combine ingredients.
Then turn the mixer to high and beat for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Pour the batter into the cake pane over the pineapple.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs on it.
Once the cake is done remove it from the oven and and gentle loosen the sides with a butter knife.
Place a clean pan or rectangular platter over the cake and carefully flip cake over while still in the pan. Allow the cake pan to rest over the cake for 5 or 10 minutes before removing to allow the caramelized brown sugar to soak into the cake. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold with sweetened whipped cream.

Preparing a Pineapple
You can find several different method for preparing a pineapple on YouTube. I settled on this simple method. Using a shape knife cut the top and bottom off the pineapple. Then, with the pineapple standing upright use a knife, and follow the curve of the pineapple to cut the spiky shell off. Now lay the pineapple on it’s side and make 1/2 inch slices. Use a small pair knife to cut the core out of each slice.

The juices in pineapple slices will get sweeter when the pineapple is grilled or pan fried with a little butter. Pan seared pineapple made a great addition to a blackened salmon and rice dish.