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Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This old-fashioned cake is traditionally made in a cast-iron skillet, but if you don't have one, you can substitute a 9- or 10-inch cake pan.
Mad Hungry, January 2011
  • Yield Serves 8
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • Grated rind from 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 fresh, ripe pineapple, sliced, or one 20-ounce can pineapple slices
  • 15 pecans

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil and milk to the bowl and beat for 1 minute. Add the vanilla, egg, lime rind, and lime juice, blending just until well combined.
  2. In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the brown sugar around the skillet. Arrange the pineapple slices and pecans on top. Pour the batter evenly over the top and bake for 45 minutes.
  3. Remove from the oven and cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a circular platter.

Recipe Reviews

  • tachi1
    30 Jan, 2013

    Not a keeper for me. I didn't find that the cake was as moist as I would have liked and the lime accents were a bit intrusive. First time I've used a cast iron pan for pineapple upside down cake, and I like the look it gives the topping. Recipe should have specified pan size, though. I wasn't sure which one to use.

  • Cyberdeb
    27 May, 2012

    I baked this cake a while ago, & liked it so much that I put it in my Ipad in "My Recipe Book" app, something went wrong & I lost all of my recipes. What a nightmare! I just spent the whole day looking for this recipe again. Thank god I found it again! It is definetely a keeper!

  • Marthaisgenius
    27 Aug, 2011

    Really, really great! I haven't had one of these in years and it was fantastic. The cake was super moist and flavorful and the topping was just perfect. I used a 9 inch cast iron pan after re-seasoning it Lucinda's way. Perfect.

  • Lasagesse
    5 Jul, 2011

    Excellent! Made it in a normal 9" round and it was good. Did add 1/2 cup coconut with my topping and cherries with the pecans. I sprinkled the coconut just before I poured the batter.

  • JaneCarney
    7 Apr, 2011

    This cake just came out of the oven and I think I might have burned my upper lip a bit,but it was well worth it. Boy this cake is wonderful. The smell of it cooking was something else, too. The touch of lime, genius!

  • InocentAngel
    7 Apr, 2011

    The pineapple and dark brown sugar had a wonderful flavor. The cake was BLAH. It was tasteless and rather dry. Not a recipe I'll follow again.