Pineapple Upside Down Cake- With RUM!

 

In honor of my grandfather's 87th birthday, I channeled the baker inside and undertook the task of making a homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Holy Cow- it was DELICIOUS! I'm sure the rum had something to do with it... I definitely suggest giving this old school recipe a try if you are looking for a dessert with presentation and taste value. Even my "I'm not a dessert guy" father cut himself a second slice!

 

INGREDIENTS:
For the topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon rum
6 slices of pineapple (use fresh or canned)
Maraschino cherries
5 whole pecans

For the Cake:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoon rum
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees; position a rack in the center of the oven.
-Melt butter in a large bowl in the microwave.
-Add brown sugar and 1 tablespoon rum to the butter; stir until mixed well.
-Pour butter mixture into a greased 9" round cake pan.
-Arrange the pineapple slices evenly in the pan; place a cherry in the center of each one and fill the center and any other open space with either additional pineapple pieces or pecans.
To make the cake:
-In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.
-In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy; scrape into a clean bowl.
-Using the same large mixing bowl (that you beat the egg whites in), beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy.
-Add the rum and vanilla extract and mix well.
-Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined.
-Using a spatula, fold in the egg whites until just mixed in.
-Pour the batter over the fruit in the cake pan and smooth to the edges.
-Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
-Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
-Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake.
-Place a serving plate directly on top of the pan and invert carefully allowing the cake to slide out of the pan.

SHOUT OUTS:
This recipe was found at creative-culinary.com and is indeed the best pineapple upside down cake I've ever tasted!

TIPS and ADAPTATIONS:
-You can certainly leave out the nuts and cherries if you so desire (or don't have any on hand).
-Don't allow the cake to cook for more than 10 minutes. It needs to be slight warm still to come out of the cake pan easily!
-If you don't want to use rum, you can substitute pineapple juice instead. But I suggest using the rum... it adds a great depth of flavor!
-Serve with some vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.