Pineapple Upside Down Cake

There's nothing homier than a fudgey, fruity pineapple upside down cake! This classic cake isn't terribly hard to make. There's just a few extra steps like separating and whisking egg whites, but the end result is so worth it.

Topping

• 1 medium pineapple―peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease a 9 inch round cake pan

To make the topping:

Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Cook until the sugar begins to caramelize―stop stirring for a couple of minutes until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from heat, and pour into the cake pan. Place the sliced pineapple on top of the butter/sugar mixture. Arrange evenly and artfully, if you like!

To make the cake:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using a mixer (hand or tabletop) beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and beat again, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture (in three additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with the dry ingredients.

In a clean bowl (swabbed with a bit of vinegar to ensure no egg deflating grease is hanging around) whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until the whites hold a firm peak―don't over whisk. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top.

Bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving plate. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.