We
can sometimes love what we do not understand, but it is impossible completely to
understand what we do not love.
- Anna Jameson
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Straightening out the upside down cake issue!
I very much remember the first time I made Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I wasn't clear on the concept so figured I would place my nicely glazed and buttered slices of pineapple on top of the cake batter, pop it in the oven, and impress my family (I was 12 at the time!) with my new-found baking expertise. I managed the cake fine and spread it evenly into the cake pan. I carefully and decoratively assembled the pineapple slices on the cake. I put the cake in the oven, set the time, and set back to await the glory that was sure to come to me.
The timer went off and I raced into the kitchen. I opened the oven door and my mouth fell open at the same time - the pineapple was gone! The cake was perfect and golden but the pineapple was no where to be seen. I burst into tears. My mother soon figured out the problem. A Pineapple Upside Down Cake is so called because you put the nicely glazed and buttered slices of pineapple in the bottom of the pan, top it with batter, and when it is done and removed from the pan, the pineapple is now on top of the cake.
I still make this cake as often as I can but always do so with a grin, remembering my very first one.
Although it might sound complicated, it is really one of the easiest cakes to make and you don't have to worry about icing it. The pineapple takes care of that!
When I'm in a hurry, I use a yellow cake mix. I do doctor it with more vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of sour cream to make it moister. I bake mine in three, 8-9 inch cake pans at 350 degrees. Yes, preheat the oven.
I use vegetable spray on the baking pans and then divide a stick of butter into thirds. I slice up each third into one of the baking pans. Then I sprinkle in about 1/4 cup of brown sugar over the butter. You can use a bit more, if you like. Most people like to use the canned pineapple rings. Me, I prefer the crushed pineapple as it provides a bit of fruit in each bite. Anyway, strain the juice from the pineapple and spread an even amount over the butter/brown sugar in each pan. This usually takes two cans of pineapple.
Prepare the cake mix according to directions on the box and try my tips above, if you want to be adventurous with the mix. Bake as directed. Let cool for about ten minutes and then place a serving plate over each baking pan and carefully turn both over so that the cake goes onto the plate. If some of the pineapple sticks in the pan, just scrape it back into any missing places.
If you remember, you can use the juice you strain from the canned pineapple in place of the water called for in the boxed mix.
The timer went off and I raced into the kitchen. I opened the oven door and my mouth fell open at the same time - the pineapple was gone! The cake was perfect and golden but the pineapple was no where to be seen. I burst into tears. My mother soon figured out the problem. A Pineapple Upside Down Cake is so called because you put the nicely glazed and buttered slices of pineapple in the bottom of the pan, top it with batter, and when it is done and removed from the pan, the pineapple is now on top of the cake.
I still make this cake as often as I can but always do so with a grin, remembering my very first one.
Although it might sound complicated, it is really one of the easiest cakes to make and you don't have to worry about icing it. The pineapple takes care of that!
When I'm in a hurry, I use a yellow cake mix. I do doctor it with more vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of sour cream to make it moister. I bake mine in three, 8-9 inch cake pans at 350 degrees. Yes, preheat the oven.
I use vegetable spray on the baking pans and then divide a stick of butter into thirds. I slice up each third into one of the baking pans. Then I sprinkle in about 1/4 cup of brown sugar over the butter. You can use a bit more, if you like. Most people like to use the canned pineapple rings. Me, I prefer the crushed pineapple as it provides a bit of fruit in each bite. Anyway, strain the juice from the pineapple and spread an even amount over the butter/brown sugar in each pan. This usually takes two cans of pineapple.
Prepare the cake mix according to directions on the box and try my tips above, if you want to be adventurous with the mix. Bake as directed. Let cool for about ten minutes and then place a serving plate over each baking pan and carefully turn both over so that the cake goes onto the plate. If some of the pineapple sticks in the pan, just scrape it back into any missing places.
If you remember, you can use the juice you strain from the canned pineapple in place of the water called for in the boxed mix.
Would make a great battle cry . . .
"The land of the free, starts in the homes of the brave!"
Kirk Cameron - 2012
Kirk Cameron - 2012
Has a religious war been declared . . .?
Glen Beck is a Mormon but seems to be one of the most outspoken supporters of the Catholic Church in the wake of the obama mandate which literally deprives Christians of their freedom of religion. This link is fascinating and based on fact. It's time for the world to wake up and help the Vatican fight the encroaching evil taking over the world. Sounds dramatic, right? But is it . . . really?
Thoughtful early morning smiles . . .
"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx
and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands
Marx and Lenin."
-- Ronald Reagan
-- Ronald Reagan
"In every American there is an air of incorrigible innocence,
which seems to conceal a diabolical cunning."
-- A. E. Housman
-- A. E. Housman
"We are the people our parents warned us about."
-- Jimmy Buffett
-- Jimmy Buffett
"To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must
also be well-mannered."
-- Voltaire
-- Voltaire
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