Pineapple upside down cake

It has been a while since I last made a cake, I usually love to have a piece of cake with a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast. This was my first attempt at making a pineapple upside-down cake, and I was really happy with the result. 

In fact, I had been craving something sweet for a while, and I always enjoy having fruit in dessert. This cake is so simple to make, thanks to Thomas Keller!

The cake turned out great, the thick caramel syrup combined with fresh and juicy sliced pineapple and paired with a moist spongy cake is really delicious! 

Ingredients (serves 8):
Pan Schmear:
8 Tbsp (1 Stick; 4 oz; 110g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ tbsp honey
½ tsp Dark Rum
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp Vanilla Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract
sea salt

1 Gold (Extra-Sweet) Pineapple

Cake:
1 1/3 cups cake flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
8 tbsp (1 Stick; 4 oz; 110g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup + 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
½ tsp Vanilla Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract
2 large eggs
1 tbsp + 1 tsp milk



Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180ºC).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, honey, rum, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread 1/3 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch silicone cake pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (The remaining schmear can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using.)

Cut the top and bottom from the pineapple and cut away the peel. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters, and cut off the core from each section. Cut each piece crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. Beginning at the perimeter of the pan, make an overlapping ring of pineapple slices with the curved side facing out. Make a second ring inside the first one, overlapping the slices in the opposite direction, working toward the center of the pan.

Sift the flour and baking powder together; set aside.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Mix in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the second and scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the milk. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and spread over the pineapple. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan for even browning and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 to 40 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter, and serve warm. (Leftover can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Gâteau renversé à l'ananas

Ingrédients (8 personnes):

Le caramel:
110 g de beurre doux à température ambiante
1 ½ càs de miel
½ càc de rhum brun
200 g sucre roux
¼ càc de vanille ou d'extrait de vanille
sel de mer

1 ananas

Gâteau:
150 g de farine
2 càc de levure chimique
110 g de beurre doux à température ambiante -
30 g de sucre
½ càc de vanille ou d'extrait de vanille
2 œufs
1 càs + 1 càc de lait

Préchauffez votre four à 180ºC.

Dans le bol d'un robot batteur, battez le beurre, le miel, le rhum, le sucre brun et la vanille afin d'obtenir un mélange homogène. Beurrez votre moule et nappez-le de du 1/3 de ce mélange. Saupoudrez un peu de sel. (Le caramel restant peut être conservé 2 semaines au frigo et 1 mois au congélateur; il faut le décongeler avant tout usage).

Epluchez l'ananas. Coupez-le en tranches de 1 cm environ. Avec un emporte-pièce retirez la partie centrale des tranches d'ananas puis couper chaque tranche en 4 ou 5 morceaux réguliers.

Disposez ces morceaux d'ananas sur le caramel.

Tamisez la farine et la levure. Réservez.

Dans un grand bol, battez le beurre et le sucre environ 3 mn, jusqu'à obtenir un mélange crémeux. Ajoutez la vanille. Incorporez l'un après l'autre les 2 œufs, battant après chaque ajout. Ajoutez le lait puis la farine en 3 fois, battant jusqu'à obtenir un mélange homogène.

Versez cette préparation sur les morceaux d'ananas. Enfournez 15 mn. Tournez le moule et laissez cuire 20 à 25 mn de plus. Vérifiez la cuisson en piquant un cure-dent. Laissez le gâteau se refroidir 20 à 40 mn.

Passez un couteau entre le gâteau et le moule, puis retournez-le sur un plat. (Ce gâteau peut être conservé à température ambiante environ 2 jours).