Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Recipe | Tastiing Table

At Portland's new Ate-Oh-Ate restaurant, the masterminds behind the city's Simpatica Dining Hall and Laurelhurst Market bring a taste of the islands to the mainland. Its menu is inspired by the classic Hawaiian plate lunch, but made with better ingredients and on-trend additions like Korean-style fried chicken. For dessert, chef Benjamin Dyer (a Hawaii native; the restaurant's name is a play on the state's area code) updates pineapple upside-down cake with fresh fruit and a spongy, angel food-esque crumb. The cake comes together quickly in a skillet to create a luau-worthy treat anytime.

Recipe adapted from Benjamin Dyer, Ate-Oh-Ate, Portland

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
4 (1 ratings)
Pineapple upside-down cake recipe from chef Benjamin Dyer at Portland's new Ate-Oh-Ate restaurant
Servings
8
round cake
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups cake flour
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
  • ¾ cup plus ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 egg whites, divided
  • ½ cup 2 percent milk, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • Five ½-inch-thick cored and halved pineapple rings, from about 1 small pineapple
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325˚ and position a rack in the center.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ½ cup of the butter, ¾ cup of the sugar and the vanilla at medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add 1 of the egg whites and beat until combined. Mix in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, until combined.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk the 2 remaining egg whites with the remaining ½ teaspoon granulated sugar until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
  4. In an 8-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter with the brown sugar over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and arrange the pineapple in the caramel. Pour the batter over the top and smooth with a spatula.
  5. Place the skillet in the oven and bake the cake until golden and a tester stick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the skillet for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the cake and carefully invert it onto a plate. Replace any pineapple pieces that stick to the skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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