The Cake Slice presents: Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Guess what! I got kicked out of The Cake Slice a few weeks ago. Nuh uh, no way! Yes way, I totally did. Working at a cupcakery kept me extremely busy over the holidays. As a result, I didn't have time to squeeze The Cake Slice recipes into my holiday baking. Since I missed three months in a row they booted me. But I had a good excuse and they took me back. YAY! So here is this month's cake! And it was totally delicious. Put it this way, I made it on the 18th, and by the 19th, IT WAS GONE! Success!I love this recipe because the cake itself is not too sweet. So the buttery, brown sugary syrup that soaks into the cake isn't overwhelming. I took some to work and everyone said it was really yummy. Wendi even broke her diet to try it. Double success!!Thanks, Cake Slice, for letting me back in! :D Check out what the other Cake Slicer's came up with: The Cake Slice Bakers!Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (from "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott)
Makes 1 9" or 10" round cake

Pineapple Topping
One 20-ounce can pineapple rings, with their syrup or juice
4 tbsp cold butter
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
10 maraschino cherries

Cake
1½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
½ salt
½ cup milk
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350F.

To make the topping, drain the pineapple well, reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice or syrup for the cake batter. Melt the cold butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Or, put the butter in a 9inch round cake pan and put it in the oven for a few minutes as the heat melts the butter.

Remove the pan from the oven or stove and sprinkle the brown sugar over the buttery surface. Place the pineapple rings carefully on top of the scattered brown sugar and melted butter, arranging them so they fit in 1 layer. (You may have a few left over). Place a cherry in the centre of each ring, and set the pan aside.

To make the cake, in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a fork to mix them together well. Add the milk and butter and beat well with a mixer, scraping down the bowl once or twice until you have a thick, fairly smooth batter, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the egg, reserved pineapple syrup or juice and the vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes more, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides.

Carefully pour the batter over the pineapple arranged in the skillet or cake pan and use a spoon to spread it evenly to the edges of the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden brown and springs back when touched lightly in the centre. Cool in the skillet or pan for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

With oven mitts, carefully turn out the warm cake onto a serving plate by placing the plate upside down over the cake in the pan and then flipping them over together to release the cake onto the plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Banana Split Birthday Cake, Version 2.0

UPDATE: Made this for Josh's birthday in January 2010. My bag of ganache exploded all over the top of the cake while I was drizzling it over. Had to scrape off most of the whipped cream. Didn't have enough cream to pipe more swirls on top, so we tried using Reddi-Whip (ya know, the kind in the aerosol can??). It lasted for about 14 seconds before it started to disintegrate and melt down the side of the cake. Oh well, the whole thing still tasted good! Just wish it would've been a masterpiece for Josh's surprise birthday party!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember my banana split birthday cake from last year. The layers were hummingbird cake (banana and pineapple) without the cinnamon. I filled it with whipped cream, fresh sliced strawberries, and chocolate ganache. I frosted the whole thing with whipped cream and topped it like a real banana split with cherries, sprinkles, and more chocolate drizzled over the whole thing. It was a freaking masterpiece, if I may say so myself. So last Saturday when my birthday rolled around again, I knew I wanted to give this cake another try.

Stephanie L. and I baked the cake layers Friday afternoon. I just wasn't satisfied with the way the cake looked. It barely rose at all, and it felt way too dense. Just for reference, I looked up a hummingbird cake recipe in Southern Cakes and noticed it was exactly the same except it used baking soda instead of baking powder, as well as a lot less oil. I had already tweaked last year's recipe to use less oil, but I had a feeling the leavening was wrong. So we made it AGAIN using baking soda this time. It rose more, and the soda made the cake brown faster, which looked a lot prettier (even though it would soon be smothered in whipped cream). Don't worry! We didn't waste the first attempt. Even though they were dense I know they'll still taste yummy, so I threw them in the freezer for later use.

To celebrate my birthday, we all stayed at my parents' camper at Sunset Beach Resort on the Easter Shore. "We" including myself, Josh, my parents, two of my aunts, two of my cousins, and a handful of my parents' friends. We had such a blast! My family knows me so well, because I didn't ask for anything at all for my birthday, and all of my gifts were still amazing. I got a bread maker, a popcorn machine, an angelfood cake pan, a digital picture frame, a BUNCH of underwear (there's an inside joke, don't worry), two Queen cd's, and obviously there was a sale on hand soaps at Bath & Body Works! ;P My dad made ribs on the grill with THREE different kinds of BBQ sauce he got from Quaker Steak & Lube. They were so yummy! When it was time for the cake, everyone raved about how beautiful it was. My dad tasted it and said that when we have our own bakery we're gonna call it the "$1M cake" and charged $79.95 as an introductory price! Haha, I dunno what neighborhood he thinks that bakery is gonna be in with wallets that big! Lol, anyway this tweaked recipe is definitely the one that's going into our family cookbook!

All I got was a cell phone picture, sorry! I totally forgot about taking pictures until we were about to walk out the door!
Here's what it looked like last year...

Banana Split Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced bananas
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped finely walnuts

Whipped cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 cups cold heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate sauce
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 ounces heavy cream

Fresh sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine eggs, oil, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, and walnuts; stir until moistened. Do not beat.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and remove pans. Cover cakes with a lint-free kitchen towel to finish cooling.

While cakes are cooling, make chocolate sauce. Combine chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until chocolate is almost melted. Continue stirring until chocolate is completely melted. Let cool until slightly thickened.

When cakes are completely cool, make whipped cream. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and resembles pudding, 2-3 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. In a large bowl, whip the remaining 2 1/2 cups cream and the vanilla together with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue whipping until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Slowly add the cooled cornstarch mixture and continue to whip until soft peaks form (about the texture of Cool Whip), 1-3 minutes. Do not overwhip, or mixture will curdle.

Thinly spread whipped cream over each layer. Arrange fresh sliced strawberries and drizzle chocolate sauce over the whipped cream. Frost the whole cake with whipped cream and drizzle more chocolate on top. Add maraschino cherries and sprinkles for decoration.

The Cake Slice presents: Piña Colada Cake

For the June installment of The Cake Slice, the bakers made the Piña Colada Cake from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne. It's a brown sugar cake, filled with tangy pineapple filling, and frosted with coconut meringue buttercream (again, the recipe makes Italian meringue buttercream, but with a few changes I Swissed it up!). Stephanie from Cram It In Your Face is staying with me this week, and she helped me make it. If you remember from last month's Cake Slice recipe, I baked it at Stephanie's house and I did all the work! This time I put her to work! We omitted the rum soak because I don't like the flavor of alcohol when it's not cooked out a little. Stephanie and I both agreed that the cake needed more coconut flavor. I think next time I'd make extra coconut frosting and put some in the middle on top of the pineapple filling. Also, we felt that the coconut milk gave the frosting an "off" flavor. Next time, I'd leave that out and use coconut oil instead of coconut extract. But I'm the baker, so I'm the worst critic. The wing nighters loved it and gave it 5 stars!

See how the other bakers fared this month by clicking here!

Here's me measuring water (because I used buttermilk powder), but I wanted to show my newest fashion statement... pink hair! I put Stephanie to work this time!
I don't know how I could survive without my cake leveler!
Stephanie is the queen of action shots! ;)
Mmm that pineapple filling is BOMB!
Another action shot... and props to my cake turntable, thanks for the help!
Sorry for the lighting... it was so cloudy!!
Stephanie and I shared the first slice, the fruit of our labor!!

Piña Colada Cake
from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne

Brown Sugar Cake
3 3/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line the base of three 9inch cake pans.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk gently to combine. Add the brown sugar, butter and 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk to the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low blend to incorporate. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk the eggs with the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk and the vanilla and add to the batter in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and beating only long enough to incorporate between additions. Divide the batter between the 3 pans.
Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper and allow to cool completely.

Pineapple Filling
1 can (20 ounce) crushed pineapple in juice (no added sugar)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 one-inch piece of vanilla bean split in half (We used 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)

Combine the pineapple, sugar and lime juice in a pan. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan too. Warm over a medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, 2 to 3 minutes.
Raise the het to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the juices have almost completely evaporated and its turned jam-like in consistency (This took us about 10 minutes). Let the filling cool completely before using. (Can be made a day in advance and refrigerated)

Coconut Buttercream
3 eggs whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water (We omitted this)
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature (We reduced this to 2 sticks)
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp coconut extract

(We changed this to make it Swiss meringue buttercream. Whisk the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes, or until mixture is fluffy and cool to the touch. Switch to the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add butter a few tablespoons at a time. When all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture becomes very thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.)
Put the eggs whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment so they are ready to go.
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and place over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring until the syrup reaches the sold boil stage, 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
Beat the egg whites briefly at medium speed. Slowly add the hot syrup in a thin stream, being careful to avoid the beaters. Continue to whip until the meringue has cooled to body temperature.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the butter, several tablespoons at a time and continue to beat until a smooth fluffy frosting forms.
Add the coconut milk in several additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well after each addition. Add the coconut extract and mix until smooth.

To assemble
9 tbsp rum – light, amber or dark
Coconut flakes and thin slices of pineapple

Place one layer flat side up on a cake stand. Sprinkle a generous 3 tbsp rum over the cake. Spread half of the pineapple filling over the layer, leaving a small gap around the edge. Add the second layer, sprinkle with more rum and cover with the remaining pineapple filling.
Top with the third layer and sprinkle with the remaining rum. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the coconut buttercream.
Decorate with some thin shreds of coconut and slices of pineapple if wished.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

My first recipe post of 2009! And it's about....... Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Wow, revolutionary, I know! Oh well, we have a whole YEAR to cover the awesomely exciting recipes. I decided to make this cake because in our family we always have pork on New Years Day. Pineapple goes well with pork, right? At least, that's what I've heard. I prefer my pineapple fresh and COLD. I don't really dig on warm pineapple. Those pineapple covered hams... gross. Pineapple glazed pork chops... disgusting. Thankfully my dad stuck with what we've been eating for the past few years and that is his famous BBQ pork ribs! We also had our usual black-eyed peas (with a dime in the pot for good luck!), collard greens, cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. In the Baker household, we love our southern cookin'!

Lately (and happily) I've become the designated dessert person for our family dinners. I recently promised Josh that I'd make him a pineapple upside-down cake when I found out it was his favorite dessert (all this time I would've sworn it was lemon cupcakes!). What better time than now? I decided to use a recipe from South Carolina in Recipe Hall of Fame Dessert Cookbook to keep with the southern cookin' theme. To make it really "down home" I baked the cake in a 12" iron skillet! After putting the cake in the oven I read back over the recipe just to double check everything. What a perfect time to double check, right? After it's too late to fix anything! Of course, I noticed that I added an extra 1/2 cup of flour. Nice, Cassie, real nice! Oh well... what can you do now? Josh kept reassuring me that the cake wouldn't be dry because of all the juice in the pineapple slices. I was praying he was right. And he didn't let me down! The cake was phenomenal! If it hadn't been for my mom telling everyone about my flour mishap, no one would've known! It was moist, sweet, and very pineapple-y (new word for 2009). However, I'm still sticking with my "warm pineapple is gross" opinion. But everyone else absolutely loved the cake! It was gone within 15 minutes of bringing it out!

Sorry, I didn't get pictures because the kitchen was kinda hectic with mom cooking dinner while I moved around her to make the dessert. But here's the recipe anyway. It's from Recipe Hall of Fame Dessert Cookbook (which I found at TJ Maxx for just $2.99!!).

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (from Nell Graydon's Cook Book of South Carolina)
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I omitted)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large can (20 oz) sliced pinapple, drained
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups in my case, oops!)
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (My own addition)
10-15 maraschino cherries (My own addition)

I preheated the oven to 350 F first, and stuck the skillet in the oven to get it warm enough to melt the butter. Melt 1/3 cup butter in iron skillet (12") or 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Mix nuts with brown sugar and spread over butter. Lay pineapple slices (and cherries) evenly over mixture. Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs, beating well after each. (I sifted my flour, baking powder, and salt together before this next step.) Add flour and milk, a little at a time. Then add vanilla and baking powder (if you didn't sift it into the flour already). Pour over pineapple and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes (I recommend at least 10 minutes to let the juices set up) ; then invert. (Leave the pan inverted for at least 30 seconds to let the pineapple and juice naturally release from the pan.) Serves 10-12.

My Banana Split Birthday Cake!!

UPDATE: THIS RECIPE HAS CHANGED! Read this post for details and new recipe!

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday, dear Cassie! Happy birthday to me!

Friday, August 8, was my 22nd birthday. Saturday night I had a small party at my house. And as tradition goes (the tradition I started last year), I made my own cake! Thanks to everyone who left a comment a few entries back suggesting cake ideas. I decided to make a banana split cake. Let's put it this way... I might be making this cake for myself every year until I am so old and mangled that it just wouldn't be possible. It tasted exactly like a banana split! I used the highest rated Hummingbird Cake recipe on Allrecipes.com. I omitted the cinnamon (Have you ever had a banana split with cinnamon on it? Duh, me either). I layered it with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and chocolate ganache. Then I frosted the whole thing with whipped cream, drizzled on some more ganache, carefully placed a few cherries, and threw on a butt load of sprinkles and HELLO DOLLY! Perfection was reached! The cake is sooo moist, and every single flavor of a banana split is dead on. It's incredible! It tastes delicious right out of the fridge. It's the perfect cake for a summer birthday!

Two unbaked cakes on a cluttered kitchen table.Two cakes cooling on an empty washing machine.Two cakes split into four (with mom's help because I'm no good at splitting cakes).You can see how moist it is.Layered with whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate.TADA!Closeup!This is the prettiest cake I've ever made!And probably the tastiest!

UPDATE: THIS RECIPE HAS CHANGED! Read this post for details and new recipe!
Hummingbird Cake III from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I omitted this)
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (Next time I'll reduce this to 1 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained (REALLY DRAIN IT!)
1 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)
2 cups diced bananas

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add eggs and oil; stir until moistened. Do not beat. Stir in bananas, 2 teaspoons vanilla, pineapple, and pecans walnuts.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and remove pans. Cover cakes with a lint-free kitchen towel to finish cooling.

To make a Banana Split Cake:
When cakes are completely cool, split each layer into two. Thinly spread whipped cream over each layer. Sprinkle chopped fresh strawberries and drizzle ganache (or chocolate syrup) over the whipped cream. Frost the whole cake with whipped cream and drizzle more ganache over it. Add cherries and sprinkles for decoration.

And how about some photos from the party to finish this post!

My mom & my friend LanceJosh & me <333He always finds a way to undress at my parties!The best friends, Beth & Aaron.
Aaron was on prescriptions meds but couldn't resist Jello shooters...My book collection after getting 7 more for my birthday!

Hummingbird Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I must admit I voted more than once for hummingbird cupcakes (It's my poll, and I'll abuse it if I want to)! I was very excited when it was the WINNER! The process of putting these together was much like a muffin... no electric mixer needed. They were extremely easy to make, and the batter was thick and delicious. The cupcake is very moist, dense, and yummy. They don't even need frosting!

wet, dry, and "chunky" ingredientsWhile my cupcakes are baking, I usually get impatient. Sometimes I even sit on the floor in front of the oven and watch them rise! I had a little batter leftover, so I put it in a teacup and popped it in the microwave. About a minute later, I had a substance that looked like cake and kinda tasted like cake (with a "this was cooked in the microwave" aftertaste).Finally something that actually looks like a cupcake comes out of my oven! The house smelled so good (like banana bread) while these were cooling.a lovely dollop of cream cheese frosting (too much frosting overpowered the taste of the cupcake, I ended up scraping off all but a thin layer).

Thanks much to Chockylit at Cupcake Bakeshop for posting the cupcake recipe. There is no recipe for the cream cheese frosting, because I always just add a little of everything (cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla) until it's the consistency I want and it tastes right.

MY NOTES: I used walnuts (instead of pecans). They were done at around 22 minutes (instead of 25 minutes).

Hummingbird Cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, with liquid
2 mashed bananas
1 cup coursely chopped pecans

Preheat to 350'F
1. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt with a whisk in a good sized bowl.
2. Beat eggs.
3. Add oil and vanilla to beaten eggs and mix until somewhat combined.
4. Add egg/oil/vanilla mixture to flour/sugar/baking soda/cinnamon/salt mixture.
5. Mix together pineapple, bananas, pecans until combined.
6. Add to the rest of ingredients and stir to combine.
7. Bake at for 25 minutes until golden and a cake tester comes out clean.