Gemma’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
An impromptu cake made with pineapple that is the perfect combination of sweetness and the taste of the vanilla bean.
Gemma’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: I have baked many pineapple cakes, and this recipe was created out of the blue one day. I love creating desserts and getting thumbs up from my family.
On weekends, I usually bake muffins, cakes, or some dessert or pastry for the week. I do enjoy eating just a little bit of sweet dessert after a long day of hard work. For some reason, as I am getting older, my taste for sweets is increasing. Not good at all!
One day I had only one can of pineapple chunks, so I knew this cake would be small. I have always liked adding dark rum to my pineapple cake and prefer the famous Barbancourt, so it was easy. Baking with Rhum Barbancourt is considered a treat.
A treat because of its delicate taste that elevates the taste of the pineapple. Rhum Barbancourt is a rum from Haiti and is used in many desserts and pastries. Many well-known chefs have used it in many of their creations and had it because a must-have in their kitchens.
My Gemma’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, as you can imagine, does have Barbancourt Rum in both the pineapple mixture and cake mixture. We all know that when alcohol is cooked, it evaporates, leaving the taste of the fermented juices as a flavoring agent.
The pineapple chunks were cooked with vanilla bean, brown sugar, and rum. Cooked down until it became a syrupy mixture, placed in the pan’s bottom and topped with cake mixture, and baked in a 350-degree F oven until perfectly baked.
This type of cake tastes even better when topped with vanilla ice cream or just whipped cream.
I hope you enjoy my latest creation, Gemma’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
Gemma’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 – 20 oz Can Unsweetened Pineapple Chunks drained and juice reserved
- 2 tablespoons Rum Rum Barbancourt preferably
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Vanilla Bean
- 1 Lime rind about 2 inches long
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 1 cup White Sugar sifted
- 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt kosher or seasalt
- 2 tablespoons Baking Powder
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Reserved Pineapple Juice
- 1 teaspoon Rum Barbancourt
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add butter and sugar. Let sugar melt completely before adding pineapple chunks without juice.
- Take vanilla bean, split in half, and scrape bean, add to the saucepan, cut bean in half, and add to saucepan.
- Add lime rind, cinnamon, and rum. Cook on low to medium heat uncovered for 30 minutes or until mixture is syrup-like.
- Remove from heat, remove the lime rind and vanilla bean and let cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Next, prepare a 1 – 8 inch round cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper, coating the sides with butter, and lightly dust with flour.
- Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Cream butter and sugar in the mixer. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla extract and nutmeg. Beat until light and fluffy.
- On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients alternating with the milk and pineapple juice.
- Add rum and mix all ingredients until just blended.
- Pour pineapple mixture into prepared pan, spreading chunks evenly – (do not overlap).
- Carefully pour batter into the pan on top of pineapple chunks mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool before removing the parchment paper.
- Serve with alone, with ice cream or whipped cream.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
