Today I decided to prepare the homemade Pineapple Cake I had been turning it over in my head for a while and it is precisely also called turned pineapple cake, because it is prepared the other way around so that when it is turned it is left with the pineapples and cherries on top. It is a dense cake, it is not spongy, it is moist and it is very tasty.
Ingredients for the Pineapple Cake:
4 cups of all-purpose wheat flour
200 g of butter or margarine
1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 can of pineapple slices in syrup
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
4 eggs
1 cup of white sugar (for the caramel)
Maraschino cherries (cherries in syrup)
1 tablespoon of baking powder
24 cm (10 ″)
Preparation of the Pineapple Cake
The first thing we are going to do is the caramel: We add the white sugar in a pot along with a cup of syrup from the pineapple can and cook over low heat until everything is caramelized. Then we add the caramel in the cake mold, move so that it covers the sides and the entire bottom well (I used a 24 cm mold) and let it cool so that the caramel hardens.
Now we will make the cake dough. We separate the whites from the yolks and beat the whites until stiff and set aside. Now beat the butter with the brown sugar while adding the yolks one by one. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and beat again while adding the 1/2 cup of pineapple juice. Once everything is integrated, add the whites until stiff and mix again.
We preheat the oven to 200ºC. Let's make the cake. The trick to keep the pineapple slices from sticking to the pan is to spread them with butter before placing them. We put them in the bottom, and inside each slice we place the cherries.
We empty the mixture into the mold (preferably use a removable mold that way it will be easier to remove it) and we will bake 45 minutes between 200ºC and 220ºC, place it on the rack in the center of the oven and pending because not all ovens heat the same and you have to look at it from time to time when pending that they do not burn. When a stick is inserted and it comes out dry, the cake is ready. If you see that it does not come out dry, leave it longer and check again. Do not remove it if the stick comes out wet because it means that it is still raw and is going to fall apart.
Time to unmold. We will let it rest for 20 minutes in the mold so that it settles and cool a little. We must not unmold it too hot because it can break, but not when it is already cold because otherwise the caramel sticks in the mold. With great care, a firm hand and a surgeon's pulse because it is still a little warm, we place a plate larger than the mold on it, and quickly turn it over. If they have the mold that is removable better because it is easier. This cake is delicate so care must be taken so that it does not break. The mold I used is 24 cm (10 ″)
Steps to take into account so that the pineapple cake is perfect:
We have to check the mold well and make sure before that it is well sealed, sometimes it looks as if, but it is not well fitted also check well that it does not leak or is bent so that the caramel does not come out (we will test before with water and if it doesn't come off, it's okay)
The caramel should be thick. If it is very liquid it will melt with the cake. It should cover the bottom and sides of the pan well.
When you add the caramel to the mold, you have to wait for it to cool very well before adding the mixture over it.
Do not forget to butter the pineapple slices well before placing them in the caramel mold so that they do not stick.
Always bake with the rack in the middle of the oven, if you put it too low the pineapples will burn, if you put it too high it will not cook underneath.
When inserting a stick, it must come out DRY, if it is wet do not remove it as it will break. the cake should be consistent.
When you take it out of the oven, give it a little shake.
Let it rest for 20 minutes and remove from the mold while it is still warm.
Before chopping or serving it, put it in the fridge at least 2 hours before so that it compacts and chills well.
