I came home from work tonight completely shattered but really fancied something sweet and something nice for dessert, I didn’t have much in apart from a tin of pineapple in the cupboard, so thought I’d make a pineapple upside down cake.

I’ve never made one before and it must be one of the easiest, lightest and yummiest cakes I have ever made. It taste’s delicious and the sugar and butter you line the bottom of the tin with end up a gorgeous caramel on top of the pineapple. Just perfect to sooth my sweet craving. All it needed was some really good quality vanilla ice cream to serve with it and it would of been heaven, but hey, maybe next time.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the pineapple rings that the recipe suggests, I didn’t ! Instead I used pineapple pieces and it worked just fine, but now I know its such a yummy recipe I will try it with the rings next time and the cherries, just because I think it will look lovely.
Buon appetito
FOR THE TOPPING
 
50g softened butter
 
50g light soft brown sugar
 
7 pineapple rings in syrup, drained and save the syrup for the sponge mixture
 
glace cherries
 
FOR THE CAKE
 
100g softened butter
 
100g golden caster sugar
 
100g self raising flour
 
1 tsp baking powder
 
1 tsp vanilla extract
 
2 eggs
 
2 tbsp syrup from the pineapple
 
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. For the topping, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Spread over the base and a quarter of the way up the sides of a 20-21cm round cake tin. Arrange pineapple rings on top, then place cherries in the centres of the rings.
 
Place the cake ingredients in a bowl along with 2 tbsp of the pineapple syrup and, using an electric whisk, beat to a soft consistency. Spoon into the tin on top of the pineapple and smooth it out so it’s level. Bake for 35 mins. Leave to stand for 5 mins, then turn out onto a plate. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
 
And by the way it is just as yummy cold the next day with a cup of tea after you have done all the housework and deserve that quick little sit down.