Fruity twist on a classic
Surely everyone is familiar with the classic pineapple upside-down cake, topped with rings of canned pineapple and dotted with neon-red maraschino cherries, all nestled in a brown sugar glaze. What many people don’t know is that nearly any fruit can be subbed in for the pineapple-cherry combo with fresh, delicious results.
Developed sometime around the turn of the last century, when canned pineapple was invented, the pineapple upside-down cake is an American classic.
These days, many people make the cake with pineapple, only they may use fresh fruit or leave off the maraschino cherries. I personally really love it when fresh pineapple is used.
However, my favorite way to reinvent this cake is to use fresh or frozen seasonal fruit, and if I’m feeling really creative, some chopped fresh herbs.
This cake lends itself toward any fruit you would make a pie with, such as strawberries, rhubarb, peaches, nectarines, fresh cherries, berries, apples, pears, bananas, mangoes, apricots and figs. Plums are good if they’re not too ripe and juicy.
Finely chopped herbs, such as basil or lemon thyme, are another more updated addition.
Peaches and nectarines are great with basil, and lemon thyme is delicious with just about anything. Mint would also work with almost any fruit, and rosemary would be perfect with figs. Cinnamon would be good for the fall versions of this cake, when fresh apples, persimmons or pears would be a natural choice.
Fresh fruit is great, but frozen fruit works as well, so don’t hesitate to use it. The only thing you want to be careful about is not using fruit that has been stored in juice or syrup.
You want unsweetened, individual pieces — and be sure that they are still frozen when adding them to the topping before baking, as they are easier to handle that way.
The amount of prepared fruit needed for the topping is roughly two to three cups. The reason why this is a rough number is that fruit measures differently, depending on how it is cut. A cup of blueberries will be much different than a cup of sliced apples, for instance.
What you want is at least a single layer of fruit covering the bottom of the pan, although you can let it pile up a little, too. It’s good to really crowd the pan, as the fruit will shrink some when cooking.
The cake needs to be removed from the pan shortly after it has been taken from the oven or the fruit will stick. This can be a little tricky, as the fruit and brown sugar topping is still quite hot and can burn.
I do this by placing the cake straight from the oven onto a cooling rack. As soon as the fruit has stopped bubbling (about one minute), I place a cake plate over the cake and, using hot pads, pick up the rack, cake and cake plate.
Holding all three firmly, in one motion I flip over to invert the cake. I set the whole stack down on the counter, remove the rack and then carefully remove the cake pan. There will be hot steam from the fruit, so use caution.
UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH ALMOST ANY FRUIT Makes:
1 (9-inch) cake, 8 to 10 servings
For the topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 cups sliced or chopped fruit
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (optional)
For the cake:
1 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon salt cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
cup whole milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you are using fresh fruit, be sure it is washed and dried. Slice it into wedges or dice it into large 1-inch chunks. Most berries can be left whole, and smaller stone fruit such as cherries and apricots can be halved. If using frozen fruit, do not defrost.
2. Make the sugar glaze. Place your baking pan or skillet on a burner over low heat and add butter. Once the butter has melted, add the sugar and stir it gently.
3. Add the chopped fruit to the pan and arrange in a single layer on top of the butter and sugar mixture.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Arrange fruit in a single layer in baking pan, being sure to crowd pan as much as possible. The fruit will shrink a little when cooked. If using herbs, sprinkle them on top of the fruit.
6. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until lightened and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until smooth, an additional minute of mixing.
7. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, like this: Add
of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add half of the milk, mixing until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add half of the remaining flour, mixing again for about 30 seconds, followed by the remaining milk and 30 seconds of mixing. Finally add the remaining flour and mix until completely smooth, about 1 minute total.
8. Dollop the fruit with the cake batter, being sure it is evenly distributed. Smooth with a spatula.
9. Place the cake in the oven. You might want to put it on a baking sheet to catch any overflow (sometimes the fruit bubbles up). Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a thin knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Remove the cake from the baking sheet and place it on a cooling rack. Let the cake settle for a minute, until any fruit that has leaked up the sides has stopped bubbling. Do not let the cake cool or you will not get it out of the pan! Run a knife around the edges of the cake. Place your cake plate over the cake and, using hot pads, carefully flip the cake over. Gently remove the cake pan. Be careful, as the fruit and glaze is still quite hot and will burn your hands.
11. If any pieces of fruit are stuck to the cake pan, gently scrape them up with a knife and replace them on the cake. Let the cake cool.
12. Serve the cake at room temperature or slightly warm. Top with barely sweetened whipped cream if desired.