PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

I know I complain sometimes about not having access to certain fruit and vegetables. Living in Sarawak means I can forget about radicchio, fennel, rhubarb and more. But one thing we have plenty of, besides 16 varieties of banana and mountains of coconuts, are pineapples! And they are very juicy and very sweet. So for all you people who regard pineapples as something of an exotic fruit, you can substitute the canned variety I guess but try not to.

Try really hard...🙏😋

INGREDIENTS

100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter at room temp

1 1/2 cups plain (all purpose) flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

scant pinch salt

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

8 or 9 slices fresh pineapple

2 tbsps rum

1 tsp coconut syrup

1 cup caster sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup full fat milk

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C (350F)

Butter a 9-inch nonstick cake pan with a removable bottom.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

In a heavy frying or sauté pan, place the brown sugar, the vanilla bean and scraped seeds and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the pineapples slices and poach for about 5 minutes turning pineapple occasionally so the slices are well coated. Remove the pineapple and set aside. Raise the heat and boil the liquid for about 10 minutes, reducing it to form about 1/4 cup syrup. Turn off the heat. Add the rum and the coconut syrup and mix well with a wooden spoon. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 6 remaining tablespoons of butter with the caster sugar. Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until completely mixed. Lower speed and add sifted dry ingredients. After 10 seconds, add the milk in increments until batter is smooth.

Arrange pineapple slices in an overlapping circle on the bottom of the buttered cake tin (see pic). Brush the slices with some of the pineapple rum syrup. Pour the batter over the top to fill the cake tin halfway. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes or until an inserted thin knife blade comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes. Slip your knife around the edge of the cake to loosen and invert onto a large serving plate.. Spoon the remaining glaze/syrup over the top.

I served mine with fresh cream whipped with a little sugar and rum. YES!