Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 14 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 8 pineapple rings
• 8 whole maraschino cherries
• About 12 pecan halves

Cooking instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Set aside.

In a medium bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar for about 5 minutes, until thick and lemon coloured. Beat in the dry ingredients. Set batter aside.

In a large, heavy, ovenproof 10-inch skillet, melt the butter. sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. Arrange the drained fruit in an attractive pattern in the pan, placing a cherry in the centre of each ring, and the pecan halves all around. Pour the batter over the fruit.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake 40 to 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Place a serving plate on top of the pan and immediately (and carefully) turn pan upside down. Don't remove the pan for a few minutes to allow the sugar mixture to run down the sides of the cake.

Serve warm with whipped cream if desired.

• serves 4 to 6