Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I've written "I've always wanted to try..." so many times and this is another one of those times. I've always wanted to try making (and eating!) pineapple upside-down cake. My friend and I made it in high school once but we forgot to put the pineapple on the bottom of the cake pan. It was delicious but I wouldn't quite count it as pineapple upside-down cake. A while ago I saw a recipe for it on Smitten Kitchen and put it in the back of my mind to make some time. I also thought my boyfriend would love it. (Turns out he thought it was good but not anything special.)

One of the great thing about this cake is that it's incredibly moist. And while it is a very good cake, it's not a personal favourite. I'm posting about it because I think it's a good recipe, it's just not my thing. I'm sure there are other versions of pineapple upside-down cake that I might like better, but this one resulted in a wet bottom (that sounds weird when talking about cake). You pour rum over the flipped cake (so on the bottom where the pineapple is). And I only poured half of the recommended amount when it had already become too mushy. Anyway, lots of people liked it and the taste is really great but I'd prefer it if the pineapples had lots of gooey caramel with them (there is some but not enough).

I should figure out some more exciting ways to photograph my food but sometimes it's just enough of a challenge to take a picture with natural light (and now that it's getting darker to be home to take a picture with natural light).

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Carrot Coconut Cake (with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Coconut Lemon Bundt cake
Key Lime Pie
Orange Berry Muffins

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen from Gourmet, February 2000

Topping:
1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tablespoons dark rum

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare a 9 inch round cake pan by buttering sides.

Make topping: Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in pan. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour into 9 inch round cake pan. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly.

Make batter: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.

Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.