Original Pineapple Upside-Down Skillet Cake

By kelsa94

This is my daughter's favorite kind of cake, so when she was home for Christmas, that's what she got for dessert. This is my favorite "scratch" recipe for PUC (my mom always used a cake mix, but I like to cook from scratch). All the other recipes I tried (not KAF) were dry and tasteless. This was a winner!

Ingredients

• CAKE:
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, yolks separated from whites
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter*
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon if you use salted butter.
• TOPPING:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple rings, drained
• 2 dozen maraschino cherries

Details

Servings 14
Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet (it should measure 9-inches across the bottom; the top diameter may be greater than 9inches). Or lightly grease a 9 inch x 2-inch deep square cake pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the mixture aside.

Whisk the egg yolks to combine; set them aside.

Beat the whites, separately, until light and frothy.

Beat the butter until soft and smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the egg yolks, beating to combine. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat again, until smooth.

Add the milk alternately with the flour mixture, mixing gently but thoroughly after each addition.
Fold in the beaten whites, then the vanilla.

Topping:

Melt the butter in the skillet, and sprinkle the sugar evenly on top. Space pineapple rings atop the sugar. Spoon the batter on top.

Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven. Loosen its edges. CAREFULLY turn the cake upside-down onto a serving plate. Lift the pan off the cake, scraping any pineapple or brown sugar from the pan onto the cake, if it sticks.

Place the cherries artfully atop the warm cake, pressing them in gently.

Serve the cake warm, or at room temperature. Store it at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.