I hope you made it through the Super Bowl if you were watching it. You probably have absolutely no food left or a fridge full of leftovers. Either way, cake should be next on your list of eats!
We're all familiar with the classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake, a soft white sponge cake with caramelized sugar-topped pineapple rings. It's iconic, a beacon of home baking status and come on, who used to steal the cherries as soon as it was turned out of the pan?
Baking a cake upside down is actually no new thing, In France they have a Tarte Tatin but no one dare call it an "Upside Down Apple Cake" but it is, with the sponge base replaced by pastry. You can use plenty of different fruits for an upside down cake, I adapted this recipe which was originally asking for cherries but peaches and blackberries would be awesome too.
Baking the cake is kind of exciting because you can't see the cool, shiny delicious part until you flip it upside down. It's a total "Ta-Da" moment.
You plan for a perfectly shaped cake but sometimes the fruit can shift or stick to the pan and it might need a little maintenance. Make sure to grease the pan generously with butter before starting and because the fruit shrinks as it cooks, pack it tightly even if it overlaps, and hopefully it won't slide when you turn it onto a plate.
A quick shake with some powdered sugar is all this cake needs.
Recipe adapted from Eating Local by Janet Fletcher.