Boozy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Remember the Boozy Fruit I made back in October? Well almost five months later, this past February, an excuse to take it out of the back of the fridge finally presented itself. (Yes, I'm aware it is now April...)

It was Robert's birthday! So, why not make a Boozy Pineapple Upside Down Cake? At least if it tastes bad, everyone eating it will already be tipsy and tipsy celebratory people are the least likely to think a baked good is anything less than delicious.

And, hey, maybe it really will be delicious and I can write a great blog entry on it and recommend it to all the people that doubt you can make a delicious edible thing out of alcohol preserved fruit.

...Well, it was delicious and here is the recipe (adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking)

 

 

Boozy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Topping ingredients

1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp allspice
1/4 C unsalted butter, melted
1 C brown sugar

Batter ingredients
Enough pineapple chunks (preserved in rum) to cover the bottom of a 10 inch bundt pan
1 1/4 C cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter room temperature
3/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C buttermilk, room temperature
1/4 C granulated sugar

Pour the melted butter into the pan and use a fork to spread the brown sugar evenly over it. Top with pieces of pineapple, slightly overlapping for a snug fit.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another large bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. With a sturdy wire whisk, beat vigorously until the mixture is light in color and fluffly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of the dry ingredients until almost fully incorporated. Fold in 1/2 of the buttermilk, then dry ingredients again, then th remaining buttermilk, then the last of the dry ingredients. Using a lifting motion, fold until the batter is smooth.

In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites with a paddle with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Beat until they for soft peaks. Slowely pour in the granulated sugar whole cintuing to beat- until soft peaks form again. The whites should fall over fently when he beaters are lifted. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

Back the cake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool. Invert a serving platter on the top of the pan and, holding the plate and pan together, invert them. Gently pull the pan off (good luck).