Pineapple Plate Cake

I know, I'm baking with toxic-colored berries, but it wouldn't be the classic without the neon-red cherries on it. So I donned my frilly apron, my string of pearls and my high-heeled pumps and started baking.

This is called a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake in Laura Brody's book, but the testers in the kitchen at work said this type of cake used to be called a plate cake, and I like the assonance, so . . .

This recipe has kept Basic Baking in the running, although I'm not 100 percent behind this one. My main objection is to the two sticks of butter that are used; the first stick is melted and combined with 2/3 cup brown sugar and poured into the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan to make the topping. Then you arrange the pineapple and cherries on top. Pretty sweet.

The cake part of this, though, could stand alone. The crumb was perfect, not too dense nor too light, with a hint of sweetness and perfectly moist on its own. It starts with three eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla, whipped together. Then the second stick of butter, melted, is added. Then you sift in 1 cup flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt and fold until it's all combined. Spread over the pineapple, then 350 degree oven for 35 minutes and let it set in the pan for 10 minutes before you invert it on a plate. The butter-brown sugar mixture soaks into the top part and sides of the cake, a sweet, buttery richness that requires a glass of milk. Almost too rich for me, but Todd was very enthusiastic.

(I almost couldn't get him to stop eating and take another picture.)

The cake part is definitely a keeper, though. I might experiment with other toppings, or no toppings, for it.