2019-08-01 Cook\'s Country

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 23

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Key Steps

Use fresh fruit Top and tail a fresh pine-

apple, and then cut off the rind.

Create rings Use round cutters to re-

move the tough core from the slices.

Cook rings in syrup Simmer the rings in

pineapple juice and brown sugar.

Reduce syrup Remove the cooked rings

and boil the syrup down to a rich caramel.

poured a simple yellow cake batter on

top and popped the pan into the oven.

Yes, the flavor of the pineapple rings

was much fresher, but the fruit was still

a little tough and the moisture it ex-

uded made the cake soggy and mushy.

And the cake still didn’t look glossy or

have its own pineapple flavor.

In my next test I tried to solve the

sogginess problem while also doubling

down on pineapple flavor. I grabbed

a 12-inch skillet and cooked the

stamped-out fresh pineapple rings in a

mixture of 1 cup of pineapple juice and

an increased amount of brown sugar.

This tenderized the fruit and cooked

off some of its juice; I hoped it would

also give me more caramel to leave the

cake with a gooey, glossy shine.

Once I’d transferred the rings

to the cake pan, I concentrated and

caramelized the mixture of juice and

sugar in the pan by simmering it until

it was sticky and syrupy; I then added

butter to create a pineapple-flavored

caramel sauce. Half the sauce went

into the cake pan with the pineapple.

While the cake baked, I thinned out

the remainder of the pineapple cara-

mel with some dark rum—to cut the

sweetness and add aromatic complex-

ity—and a bit more fresh pineapple

juice for vibrancy. Then, while the

cake cooled, I poked holes all over it

with a toothpick and brushed most

of my pineapple-rum caramel on top

to let it soak in. I reserved just a little

bit of the caramel to brush on right

before serving.

As I turned out this new, juiced-up

version of my cake, I was delighted to

find that it looked positively stunning.

There was just enough extra pine-

apple caramel to leave a few drips on

the platter and create the right gooey

consistency and glossy shine, but not

so much as to make the cake soggy.

The real revelation came when

we all dug in. The rings were tender,

juicy, and vibrant. The cake was ultra-

buttery and balanced by the complex,

heady pineapple-rum caramel soak.

The essence of sunshiny pineapple

carried through the entire experi-

ence, from top to bottom. This was a

pineapple upside-down cake fit for a

special occasion.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Serves 8

You will need a 3¼-inch round cutter

and a 1¼-inch round cutter or apple

corer to make the pineapple rings. If

you prefer, you can substitute 2 ad-

ditional tablespoons of pineapple juice

for the rum in step 5.

1 pineapple, peeled

1½ cups packed (10½ ounces)

light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons pineapple

juice, divided

7 maraschino cherries, stemmed

and patted dry

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut

into 12 pieces, plus 8 tablespoons

melted

1 teaspoon table salt, divided

2 tablespoons dark rum

1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

½ cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position
   and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease
   9-inch round cake pan, line with parch-
   ment paper, and grease parchment.


2. Cut seven ½-inch-thick crosswise
   slices from pineapple. (Reserve remain-
   ing pineapple for another use.) Using
   3¼-inch round cutter, cut slices into

neat rounds; discard trimmings. Using

1¼-inch round cutter or apple corer,

remove core from pineapple slices to

create rings; discard core pieces.

3. Combine brown sugar and 1 cup
   pineapple juice in 12-inch skillet. Add
   pineapple rings to skillet in single
   layer. Bring to boil over medium-high
   heat and cook until rings have soft-
   ened, about 10 minutes, flipping rings
   halfway through cooking. Transfer
   rings to prepared pan, placing 1 ring
   in center of pan and arranging re-
   maining 6 rings around circumference
   of pan (rings will fit snugly in pan
   without overlapping). Place cherries
   in centers of rings.


4. Return brown sugar mixture to boil
   over medium-high heat and cook, stir-
   ring frequently, until rubber spatula
   dragged across bottom of skillet
   leaves trail that fills in slowly, bubbles
   increase in size, and mixture registers
   260 degrees, 3 to 6 minutes. Care-
   fully stir in 12 tablespoons butter and
   ½ teaspoon salt until butter is melted
   (caramel may look separated at first).
   Return mixture to boil and cook until
   frothy and uniform in texture, about
   1 minute. Let caramel cool off heat
   for 5 minutes.


5. Transfer caramel to 4-cup liquid
   measuring cup. Pour ¾ cup caramel
   evenly over pineapple rings, gently
   shaking pan to distribute. Whisk rum
   and remaining 2 tablespoons pineapple
   juice into remaining caramel; set aside.


6. Whisk flour, baking powder, and
   remaining ½ teaspoon salt together
   in bowl. Whisk granulated sugar,
   milk, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl
   until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk
   8 tablespoons melted butter into milk
   mixture until combined. Whisk flour
   mixture into milk mixture until no dry
   flour remains.


7. Transfer batter to prepared pan and
   smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake
   until light golden brown and toothpick
   inserted in center comes out clean,
   50 minutes to 1 hour.


8. Transfer pan to wire rack. Imme-
   diately run paring knife between cake
   and sides of pan. Using toothpick,
   poke about 80 holes evenly over cake.
   Microwave reserved caramel mixture
   until warm, about 1 minute. Brush
   cake with ½ cup reserved caramel
   mixture. Let cake cool in pan for
   25 minutes. Carefully invert cake onto
   serving plate. Brush top of cake with
   remaining reserved caramel mixture
   as desired. Serve warm or at room
   temperature, passing any remaining
   caramel mixture separately.

It’s hard to overstate just how glamorous pineapples

were in Renaissance Europe. After Christopher Colum-

bus presented a pineapple to King Ferdinand II of Aragon

in 1496 following his second voyage to the Caribbean, the

fruit became a culinary status symbol. It was so closely

associated with European aristocracy that by the start

of the English Civil War in 1642, it was a reviled symbol of

excess. But the fruit bounced back, becoming a motif of

luxury carved into mahogany bedposts, painted into por-

traits, and etched into ivory boxes. People who’d never

tasted one had images of them on their wallpaper.

It wasn’t until the late 19th century that pineapple cultivation truly took hold in

Hawaii. By 1930, the islands led the world in pineapple production. Today, the top three

pineapple producers are Costa Rica, Brazil, and the Philippines.

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