Recipes

[insomniac2]

I am looking for an upside-down cake recipe that was in a cookbook from the 40s. The key thing is that the cake part is very plain (more like a shortcake); the topping is prepared on the stove (combining butter and crushed pineapple).

If someone could give me a recipe similar to what I've specified, I'd be forever grateful!

[Zhills]

I have this recipe.  It is in my Betty Crocker cookbook.  All of the Betty Crocker recipes online use a cakemix.  Give me time to retype this and you'll have it.

[qualitygal]

Wonder if it's on the BC website? I figured if it was from that long ago, it was a BC recipe or from a McCalls, Redbook or other magazine recipe. Of course, back then, newspapers did a lot of recipes. My grandmother got hers that way. 

[IamMrsG]

This is the recipe I have used.  My source is not as old as the one you specified, circa 1980s, maybe.  I thought I'd share it "just in case."

Old-Fashioned Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
McCall’s Cooking School | Cakes, Cookies, page 13
Servings: 8

3 (8 1/4 ounce) cans pineapple slices in syrup (12 slices)
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup pecan halves
1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 cup heavy cream, chilled (or 1 pint vanilla ice cream)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Drain pineapple slices, reserving 2 tablespoons of the syrup. In a very heavy or cast iron, 10-inch skillet with heat-resistant handle, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, stirring until sugar is melted.

Remove from heat.

Arrange 8 pineapple slices on sugar mixture, overlapping slices slightly around edge of pan. Put one slice in center. Fill centers with pecan halves. Halve three remaining pineapple slices. Arrange around inside edge of skillet. Put pecans in centers.

Into medium bowl, sift flour with granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Add shortening and milk. With electric mixer at high speed, beat 2 minutes, or until mixture is smooth. Add egg and reserved 2 tablespoons pineapple syrup; beat 2 minutes longer.

Gently pour cake batter over pineapple in skillet, spreading evenly, being careful not to disarrange pineapple. On rack in center of oven, bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden in color and surface of cake springs back when it's gently pressed with fingertip.

Let skillet stand on wire rack 5 minutes to cool just slightly. With rotary beater, beat cream until stiff. With small spatula, loosen cake from edge of skillet all around. Place serving platter over the cake, and turn upside down; shake gently; lift off skillet.

Serve cake warm, with the whipped cream or ice cream.

[lolakimono]

@insomniac2

Check out this one-

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/quick-pineapple-upside-down-cake/63e6819a-dc74-456d-8de6-bf4377...

[Zhills]

[sabatini]

Wanna hear something dumb, @IamMrsG? It never occurred to me to use pecan halves. LOL!!

I've always gone out & bought maraschino cherries (which I hate), only because I used 'em in the pineapple ring's center.

No one ate them, just picked 'em out & tossed. LOL again!

And I love pecans!

Isn't it funny when something so obvious can elude you?

Like,...back when I was 19, & my 20 year old sis & I got our 1st apartment, we had a cat who'd always tip over the kitchen trash can.

Every night when we'd come home from work, there'd be trash strewn everywhere.

You wouldn't believe the measures we took: blocking the can w/ 'stuff', stacking albums on top of the trash can, & we even walked the city streets trying to find a rock or a brick to set atop the albums, to no avail.

One night as we sat in the kitchen, we both looked at the cabinet under the sink, & one of us stood up, placed the can inside & closed the door.

Problem solved.

Duh!

Pecan halves, it is!

[rrpell]

This is from my Meta Given's "Encyclopedia of Cooking".  I have the 1959 "revised edition ( 2 books).  I think she taught me how to cook!  Her first cookbook came out in the '40s.

[IamMrsG]

Hi, @sabatini.  I think maraschino cherries are the standard for this cake.   Did you notice the photo in @lolakimono's recipe?  It has both cherries and pecan halves--making a nice presentation.

Your telling about the cat and trash can literally had me laughing out loud.  I wish I could deny it, but I can envision that light-bulb moment between you and your sister only too well.   "Can't see the forest for the trees."

[ID2]

12 Tomatoes has a great recipe that I just happened to make yesterday. My dh said its the best cake I've ever made! It really is delicious!