Melody's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

We are so happy that you have joined us for our next program for our inaugural exhibit, American Girl: 35 Years of Strong Characters. 

For today’s program, we will be making Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, a recipe brought to us by one of American Girl’s optimistic and determined characters, Melody. Her story takes place in 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement.

Today’s recipe can be found online from Food Network. The following ingredients and directions make eight servings. We hope you enjoy Melody’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 20-ounce can sliced pineapple,

• 2 tablespoons juice reserved

• 1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar

• Maraschino cherries, stemmed (optional)

Equipment

• Electric mixture

• 12 inch cast-iron skillet

• Small kitchen knife

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake batter by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, 1/2 stick butter, the shortening, milk, eggs, vanilla and 2 tablespoons pineapple juice in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until well combined. (There will still be a few small lumps in the batter.) Set aside.

2. Melt the remaining 1/2 stick butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat; swirl to thoroughly coat the skillet. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, making sure it's evenly distributed-you want the entire surface of the butter to be covered in brown sugar. Do not stir. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat and layer the pineapple slices over the top. If desired, place maraschino cherries in the centers of the pineapple slices.

3. Pour the batter evenly over the pineapple slices and gently spread to even out the top. Bake the cake 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4. Immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake, then put a plate upside down on top of the skillet. Carefully invert the skillet so the cake is turned onto the plate. It should come out pretty easily; if bits of cake stick to the skillet, use a small knife to patch it together.

5. Let cool slightly before cutting into wedges. It's best served warm.

Did You Know: The Pineapple Upside Down Cake was so popular in the 1950s and 1960s and is still popular today! No wonder – it is still delicious and wonderful! Use your old cast-iron frying pan when make your Pineapple Upside Down Cake. The heavy steel pan keeps the butter from burning and the handle makes it easy to flip the cake upside down when it is done.