Pineapple Upside Down Cake

What is to not like about this cake? This is the third time I've baked this cake and it still brings out a giggly sort of excitement whenever the cake is upturned and the whole beauty of the cake is presented in-front of you.

My hubby is of this believe that fruits and vegetables are meant to be eaten as it is, and NEVER meant to be transformed into cakes and cookies. The magic of this cake is that even a cynic like him is consumed by the beauty of this cake, and cannot help but ask, "is there more?" :D. Oh...i love it when i prove him wrong ;).

The recipe is adapted directly from Nigella Lawson. I am not really comfortable with the amount of butter and cream she uses in most of her cooking, this obviously though, is just fantastic and one of my favorite cake of hers. Super easy to make but definitely difficult to resist :). Thanks Ms. Lawson!! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup - All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup - Veg' Oil

1/4 Cup - Sugar (1/2 Cup in the original)

1/4 Tsp - Soda

1 Tsp - Baking Powder

2 nos - Eggs

4 nos - Pineapple Slices + 3 Tbsp Juice

9 nos - Glazed Cherries

2 Tbsp - Sugar for Sprinkling

I used Del Monte brand for the pineapple slices. The number of pineapple slices will depend on the size of the cake pan you are using. The more slices you can fit in the merrier i must say :). And yes, i choose to use canola or other flavorless vegetable oil for my cakes, as i want to cut down on FAT and also feel that there really is not much of a difference in the taste of the final product if you bake it at the right temperature and are observant about the cooking duration. And here's how to go about with this one.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees, grease the baking pan,  and keep aside
2. Sift together flour, Baking powder and soda and keep aside
3. In another bowl mix the oil and sugar and mix it till well blended. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time, mix well
4. Pour the wet ingredients on to the dry and mix till well combined, now add the 3 Tbsp of the pineapple juice to thin the batter.
5. Sprinkle the 2 Tbsp sugar on the greased cake pan and arrange the pineapple slices over it. Finally, pour the batter on top of  this lovely spread.
6. Bake it for 25-30 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Once done, cool for a minute or two then place a plate on top, give the pan a heavy tap, voila! the pretty cake is ready

With super enthusiastic people around the table, i could not even get a better picture of the cake :D, and yes that's the kind of response in the house for this cake.

Happy Baking!!!