Description
Mary Berry’s pineapple upside down cake delivers classic British baking charm with caramelized fruit and tender sponge. Delightful dessert combines sweet pineapple rings with golden cake that melts in your mouth, inviting warm memories of traditional afternoon tea.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 fresh pineapple (peeled, cored, and sliced into rings)
- 3 eggs
- 1.5 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 0.75 cup (170 g) butter
- 0.75 cup (165 g) dark brown sugar
- 0.5 cup (100 g) white sugar
- 0.75 cup (180 ml) unsweetened pineapple juice
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preparation: Generously butter a 9-inch cake pan, ensuring complete surface coverage to prevent adherence.
- Caramel Foundation: Whisk melted butter, dark brown sugar, and pineapple juice into a silky, uniform caramel sauce, then pour evenly across the pan’s base.
- Pineapple Arrangement: Meticulously position pineapple rings atop the caramel, creating an aesthetically pleasing design.
- Dry Ingredient Blend: Sift flour, salt, white sugar, and baking powder together, eliminating potential lumps and ensuring consistent mixture.
- Egg Preparation: Separate eggs with precision. Whip whites until stiff, glossy peaks form, then beat yolks until pale and creamy.
- Liquid Integration: Combine pineapple juice, vanilla extract, and remaining melted butter with egg yolks, then gently fold into dry ingredients.
- Batter Refinement: Delicately incorporate whipped egg whites using a folding technique to maintain airiness and preserve volume.
- Cake Assembly: Gently pour batter over pineapple rings, spreading uniformly to create an even surface.
- Baking Process: Slide pan into a preheated 400°F oven, baking for 30-35 minutes until the cake achieves a golden-brown hue and springs back when touched.
- Cooling and Presentation: Allow cake to rest in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate, revealing the caramelized pineapple topping before serving.
Notes
- Prevent Sticking Technique: Generously butter the cake pan to ensure the pineapple rings and caramel layer release smoothly without tearing.
- Egg White Whipping Secret: Whip egg whites to stiff peaks carefully, as this creates the cake’s signature light and airy texture that makes the dessert melt in your mouth.
- Gentle Mixing Approach: Fold ingredients gently to maintain air bubbles, which guarantees a fluffy, tender cake that’s soft and delicate.
- Caramel Setting Tip: Allow the cake to rest in the pan for exactly 10 minutes after baking, helping the caramel layer stabilize and preventing potential structural collapse when inverting.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: UK
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 36 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg