Classic Upside Down Pineapple Cake

I made this classic sponge cake at the weekend. I was surprised how easy it was to make and how delicious it was, if I do say so myself! After receiving a pineapple in our weekly veggie and fruit box i felt inspired to bake with it. Not having actually made this one before I set to Youtube to see just how the cake is made so the pineapple sits on top on the cake in the treacle like topping which coats the soft sponge. There were lots of different versions to this online. Some said to make a dense sponge, others said a light sponge. Some recipes included spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and fresh citrus peel. Preferring to keep things simple I decided to revert to my tried and tested Mary Berry sponge cake recipe and my own take on a caramel sauce using the dark brown sugar that I had in the kitchen cupboard. After eating this my youngest son exclaimed "Its just like sticky toffee pudding!" A real hit.

The recipe is written backwards in its method process as the topping is made first, so its split into two.

It should give you a light soft sponge, with a rich coating of dark caramel on a slightly crunchy yet chewy base and crust with soft, sweet chunks of exotic pineapple. Paired with an almond cream, vanilla ice cream....or both! It will satisfy that sweet tooth and yearning for a sticky treat anytime of the day!

Topping Ingredients:

150g Soft dark brown sugar

125g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

3-4 rings of pineapple

Method:

Step 1: Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Step 2: Heat the sugar, butter and vanilla essence on a low heat in the pan until the sugar crystals have been dissolved.

Step 3: Pour into a round silicon cake mould and place the whole rounds or chunks of pineapple onto the mixture to cool.

Cake batter ingredients:

125g unsalted butter

225g granulated sugar

3 eggs

275g Soft cake flour. I used french flour but If you have self raising use that and omit the bicarb.

2 tspn baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp milk

Method:

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar together until light then add an egg at a time

Step 2: Sift all of the dry ingredients into a bowl (This helps to make the sponge lighter)

Step 4: Add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you have a thick, smooth pouring consistency.

Step 5: Pour over the pineapple and bake in the oven for about 40 mins or until the sponge is golden brown and bounces back when you push is down.

Step 6: When it has finished cooking, allow to cool for ten minutes in the mould before carefully tipping it out on to a cooling rack. The sticky sponge and pineapple should now be facing you.

Step 7: Enjoy on its own or served with cream or vanilla ice cream.