#95) Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

A perfect dessert for any summer gathering...
or the cold winter days when all you want is a warm, sandy beach and palm trees :)

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake has been one of my favorite desserts since I was a kid.  It is a go-to recipe that I turn to whenever I need something easy, pretty, and delicious.  I don't remember the first time I made this cake on my own, but I am sure I was young and didn't have much in the way of baking know-how.  Since then I've picked up a thing or two and have been able to improve on my mother's "old faithful" recipe from an old Cream of the West cookbook. 

One problem I found with the original recipe was that no matter how gently I mixed in my eggs and no matter how patient I was in not opening the oven door, my cake would ALWAYS sink in the middle.  All that gooey caramel and beautiful pineapple would sink into a huge dip right in the middle of my cake :( The culprit?  Too much baking powder, I think.  So I lessened the amount of leavener and creamed the sugar with the butter to incorporate some air to work with.  Success :)

See that?  No dip ;)

Another little issue I had with the original recipe was that it called for shortening as the fat.  Now I am not against using shortening when needed, but why would I use this when there are many more flavorful options?  So naturally, I swapped it out for butter :)  I added a dash of vanilla and used buttermilk to help in this department as well.

Final little thing - the pineapple...  Pineapple slices are so pretty when they are arranged just so and you add those sweet little maraschino cherries for a pop of color.  But have you tried to take a bite of a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and the whole pineapple slice comes off with your first forkful?  I have and I wasn't happy about it. I want juicy pineapple in every single bite.  The fix - pineapple tidbits :)

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar

1 can pineapple tidbits (19-ounce), drained  

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup butter

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup butter milk (or mix 3/4 cup regular milk plus 1 tsp lemon juice; let stand 5 minutes)

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.  (Mix together milk and lemon juice and let stand while preparing batter.) 
-Add melted butter and brown sugar to 9"x9" baking dish.  Arrange pineapple tidbits on top.

-Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

-In large bowl, cream together white sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

-Add eggs and vanilla, mixing gently just until incorporated.

-Add half the dry ingredients and half the milk.  Mix just until incorporated.
-Scrap sides and bottom of bowl.  Add reaming dry ingredients and milk.  Mix just until incorporated.
-Spoon batter over pineapple tidbits and carefully smooth top.  Bake for 40-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool 5 minutes in pan then carefully invert onto your serving platter.

*Garnish with strawberry preserve, toasted coconut, and crème chantilly (vanilla whipped cream).

#64) German Chocolate Chewies

I know, I know... The topping on these suckers looks less than appetizing, BUT it sure does taste good!

These little things were made as a treat for a cousin of mind who has a sweet tooth just as big as mine :) They are quite similar to one of my favorite cakes, German Chocolate Cake, but the bite-sized version is even better. The brownie cookie is great on its own, with a chewy texture and chocolately flavour, but the gooey crunchy topping adds a great new twist!

Brownie Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet and milk)

Steps

-Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-Beat together brown sugar, shortening, water, and vanilla. Add eggs. Beat well.
-Combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Add to shortening mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
-Drop by rounded tablespoonful and bake for 7-9 minutes.
-Cool completely.

German Topping

Ingredients

1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/8 cup shortening
1/8 cup butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Steps

-Combine evaporated milk, sugar, shortening, butter, and egg yolks in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until thickened.
-Remove from heat. Add vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Cool completely.
-Frost cookies.

*Makes 3 dozen cookies.

#49) Chocolate Orange Crunchies

These little guys were an after-thought, really. I was in the kitchen waiting and waiting for my Mega-Orange Muffins to come out of the oven, and all the while I was getting more and more enticed by the citrus aroma filling the room. I got to thinking - what can I do next with some orange zest? Well, chocolate goes great with orange, but I wasn't in the mood for a cupcake or cookie... I wanted 100% chocolate. But, I couldn't make candy with just chocolate and orange zest? Well, really I could have (chocoholic, remember?!?!), but I thought it would be better to load it up with some crunchy extras!

Ingredients

2 cups chocolate chips (good quality)
zest of one very large orange
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup coconut, toasted

Steps

-Melt chocolate.
-Stir in zest.
-Add almonds and coconut. Let cool slightly.
-Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment paper until hard.
-Eat, crunch, and be merry :)

#32) Lemon Cheese Coconut Cake

I am having a little get-together tonight with a couple of my girlfriends from university and their men tonight so I decided to go all out and cook up one of the most challenging meals I have done to date - apricot stuffed chicken breasts, sweet and smoky broccoli, and creamy parsnip mashed potatoes. This cute cake will be served as dessert.

Cake

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Steps

- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, sugar, coconut, ground almonds, and baking powder. Make a well in centre.
- Whisk together buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into well.
- Use hand mixer to blend until smooth.
- Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour. Let cool completely. Cut horizontally into two even layers. Set aside.

Lemon Cheese Filling

Ingredients

1 block cream cheese (8 oz)
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 cup toasted coconut

Steps

- Beat the four ingredients together until smooth.
- Add half of the mixture to the top of one cake layer. Place second layer on top.
- Spread remaining cheese mixture on sides of cake. Add toasted coconut over cheese mixture.

Icing

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk

1 drop green food coloring
1 drop red food coloring

Steps

- Combine icing sugar, butter, and milk. Mixture should be barely pourable.
- Add 1 tbsp of mixture to two bowls (1 tbsp per bowl). Add one drop of food coloring to each bowl (red in one, green in the second).
- Add the remaining white icing to top of cake and spread out evenly.
- Add the colored icings to two small sandwich bags. Snip off a very tiny amount of the corner to make a small piping hole.
- Pipe straight lines across the cake's top.
- Use a toothpick to drag lines in one direction. Repeat in opposite direction.