Super Moist Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Topping

Directions

Special equipment:

A 10-inch cast-iron skillet. If you don’t have one you can make the caramel in a small pot and scrape it into the bottom of a similarly-sized cake pan.

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Make topping:

Cut pineapple crosswise into ⅜ inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, four minutes.

Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly.

Make batter:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended.

Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.) Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly.

Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet five minutes.

Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Let cool.

Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.