PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

These individual pineapple upside-down cakes are topped with a dollop of whipped coconut cream, which might surprise you if you’re expecting regular whipped cream! It’s a small change, but it makes a big difference and ups the tropical flavors going on in this cake. For additional garnishes, you could drizzle the cakes with a spoonful of store-bought guava purée and top with a piece of dehydrated pineapple.

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup packed dark brown

sugar

6 sprigs fresh thyme 3 tablespoons dark rum ½ cup heavy cream ¼ small pineapple, peeled and cut into ½-inchthick wedges

1½ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking

powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

extract

½ cup pineapple juice 1 (14-ounce) can coconut

cream (see Tip)

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved, 5 minutes. Pour half the mixture into four 6-ounce ramekins. Return the pan to medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the rum and the heavy cream, and stir well. Heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, let cool, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Arrange the pineapple slices on top of the brown sugar mixture in the ramekins, overlapping the slices slightly to create a spiral.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining 6 tablespoons butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and the remaining 1 tablespoon rum. Add about half the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just blended. Beat in the pineapple juice, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Spoon the batter into the ramekins over the pineapple layer.

Bake the cakes on the middle rack of the oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the oven, poke a few holes in each cake using a toothpick, and then pour the reserved caramel mixture over the tops. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edge of each ramekin to loosen the cake, and then invert each cake onto a dessert plate.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the coconut cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture holds soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes.

Garnish each pineapple upside-down cake with a dollop of whipped coconut cream. Serve. Serves: 4.

Tip: You’ll find cans of coconut cream on the same shelf as coconut milk in most grocery stores. They look similar, so make sure you grab the right one! If you can’t find it, here’s a quick tip: pop a can of full-fat coconut milk into the fridge for 24 hours, then carefully open the can and skim the cream off the top, leaving the coconut water below!

Reprinted from “MasterChef Junior Cookbook.” Copyright © 2017 by Shine Television, LLC. Food photographs copyright © 2017 by Evan Sung. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.