A retro pineapple upside down cake, popular in the 1970s. This recipe is for a chocolate version made with fresh pineapple, though it's fine to use tinned for convenience. Serve warm with ice cream for dessert or at room temperature for afternoon tea.
225ggolden caster sugar(I used vanilla sugar and omitted the vanilla extract)
1tspvanilla extract
170gwholemeal flour(I used 150g wholemeal spelt and 20g coconut flour)
2tspbaking powder
Instructions
Caramel
Dissolve the sugar in a pan over a low heat with the water. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until syrupy and golden.
200 g demerara sugar, 120 ml water
Take off the heat and stir in the butter.
75 g unsalted butter
Pour the caramel into a 23cm (9 inch) silicone cake mould. Don't wash the pan.
Skin and core the pineapple, then chop into small segments.
1 pineapple
Place the segments on top of the caramel.
Cake
Preheat oven to 160℃ (140℃ fan,320℉, Gas 3).
Over a low heat, melt the chocolate in the used caramel pan with butter. Stir and leave to cool a little.
100 g dark chocolate, 125 g unsalted butter
Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract until really pale and thick. You can do this by hand, but it's far easier to use electric beaters.
4 large eggs, 225 g golden caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Pour the chocolate mixture down the side of the egg bowl and carefully stir until combined.
Sieve in the flour and baking powder then fold into the egg mixture until just combined.
170 g wholemeal flour, 2 tsp baking powder
Scrape the mixture over the pineapple and caramel. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50 minutes. The cake is done when it's well risen and firm to the touch.
Leave to rest in the pan for ten minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate so that the pineapple is on top. Eat warm with ice cream for dessert or at on its own at room temperature for afternoon tea.
Notes
For convenience it's fine to use tinned pineapple instead of fresh. You'll need a tin weighing about 460g (1 pound).If using tinned, swap the juice for the water in the recipe when making the caramel.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.