Pecan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Pecan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Pecan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Pecan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

David Venable

There’s never a wrong time to serve this cake. But, if you make it around the holidays, why not make it festive with some red and green cherries!

Topping

  • 1 medium pineapple (peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/4" thick) or 1 (20-oz) can sliced pineapple
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 6-8 maraschino cherries, red and green
  • A few whole pecans

Directions

Add butter to a 10" skillet or (9" round baking pan) and place it inside a warm oven until it's melted (about 5 minutes). Remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter. Artfully arrange the pineapple slices and cherries on top. Fill in the nooks and crannies with whole pecans.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir. Using a hand or stand mixer in a metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until fluffy. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the pineapple juice and vanilla extract and beat the ingredients well. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until both are well combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites. Pour the cake mixture evenly over the fruit and smooth it with the spatula.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let stand in the skillet for 5 minutes. Invert a plate over the skillet and invert the cake onto the plate (keeping the plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Serve the cake just warm or at room temperature. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Batter

  • 1 cup flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 Tbsp pineapple juice
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Cook's Notes

This recipe calls for fresh pineapple, but canned can be substituted in a pinch.|Look for a bright yellow-gold color when choosing a ripe pineapple. Ideally, that's the color of the whole fruit, but there may be some green. The further the yellow-gold color goes up from the base of the fruit, the better. Just be sure to never select a pineapple that is completely green.

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