My most recent memory of this cake (other than when I just made this) is when Stacey met my parents for the first time.

 

We were driving up to Wisconsin to my parent’s house and I remember Stacey was pretty worried about meeting my mom. An Italian mom meeting her son’s non-Italian girlfriend for the first time.

I tried to explain to her that Mama G was not frightening at all unless of course, you are afraid of being hugged a lot and eating too much…then she is terrifying.

When we finally got to the house and started walking up to the car my mom came out of the door, hugged us both and said

“I made a pineapple upside-down cake”

This cake will always remind me of that moment.

Ingredient List:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 can sliced pineapple
• maraschino cherries
• 1 cup sifted flour (I used Gluten Free)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 eggs separated
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp pineapple juice

 

This is actually a surprisingly simple recipe and this is coming from someone who doesn’t like to bake…so you know it has to be.

 

In a large bowl sift your flour and baking powder together and place off to the side.

If you’re using GF flour, you can also add an extra 1tsp of Xanthum Gum at this time.

 

In an effort to avoid making this post a thousand miles long, I decided to use this nifty slideshow to show you the wet ingredients.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

That was nice, wasn’t it? Okie Dokie…moving on.

Once your wet bowl is ready it’s time to introduce the dry

Make sure it’s a smooth batter, but try not to over stir it. It will be a pretty sticky batter and that’s A-ok.

 

 

Now, time to whisk those egg-whites.

If you have massive forearms please feel free to use a normal whisk, but if you’re like me with normal human arms, you can use an electric mixer.

You’re done when you’re able to create a “peaks” that stay up. Combine those egg whites into the batter and set aside.

Now, time to turn this shit upside down!!!!

In a castiron pan melt butter and brown sugar, place the pineapple slices down, and add your cherries.

Turn the heat off and pour the batter over top, smoothing it out to cover the whole pan.

Place in a 375-degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

 

 

 

I ended up baking mine for 35 minutes and then turning the oven off and leaving it in for about 5 more minutes.

 

 

Now, the moment of truth.

Place a plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the whole thing over to get the pretty side back on top.

I was honestly pretty worried about this and when I took the pan off and saw the cake looking like the picture below I legitimately squealed with delight.

The cake was delicious…honestly. We ended up making it gluten-free so Stax could enjoy it and it tasted like a normal cake…which is a pretty big deal if you eat a lot of gluten-free baked goods.

Before I go, I wanted to add something that I realized today as I was writing this post. My mom is an incredible baker. She’s been baking all my life and given that the food I always associate with my grandparents is savory, I didn’t know why.

Then I saw that almost all the recipes in the desserts were from her mom and dad. I don’t know if that’s why she loves baking so much, but it’s really wonderful for me to think about my mom, as a young girl, sitting in the kitchen of the two-flat helping her mom and dad make cookies and cakes.

I’m consistently surprised at the memories and emotions that this process has raised.

Looking forward to the next one.

Besos Yall.

 

Mess Hall baking family gluten free Home cooking Homemade