Pineapple upside-down cake

Pineapple has never been my favourite fruit. In fact, it was the exotic stranger. The only thing that fascinated me about a pineapple was to look at a street vendor cutting the fruit, or shall I say shaping a pineapple sculpture. He'd first carefully cut all the hard and spiky skin off, then, tilted his knife to trace all the black dots, by doing so, a very artistic diagonal line starting from the bottom right to the top will be carved. One line and then another. Finally, a tough looking pineapple would be shaped as a juicy opal with beautiful even twirls along side. Yes, for me, pineapple has always been an object rather than fruit, until recently.

We just came back from a short visit to Paris. As part of the getting-to-know-your-future-home-city adventure, we also visited our old next door neighbour, who recently settled in the north seaside town of Samer, France. The family's 6-year-old girl used to play with our daughter when they were little cute beans. Reunion was amazing and what surprised me was my daughter suddenly fell in love with pineapple-the favourite fruit of her friend. Since then, she'd asked for pineapple on the breakfast fruit plate everyday.

So, you know, it's about time to switch my 'object' into 'my daughter's-new-favourite-fruit'.

I do enjoy shopping for ripe pineapples--they smell amazing! The explosive caramel-like smell reminds me of tropical salty sweet breezes in the Canary Islands. I definitely enjoy peeling and cutting them,too. I get flash backs;  the street vendors and their magical pineapple-shaping-art invoke childhood memories.

Once a pineapple enters my kitchen, you will see it almost everywhere. First day: freshly cut pineapple on breakfast fruit plate; The next day, left over pineapple cooked with pork stripes-GuLaoRou (the famous foreign fantasy on Chinese food--the sweet sour pork); Then, it comes the final valid date for pineapple-what to do? ..Voila, something sweet--the pineapple upside-down cake.

Upside-down cakes with fruit at the bottom, caramelised with brown sugar and butter is said to be invented almost 250 years ago in France-'Tarte Tatin', so it was called in French, which was named after Hotel Tatin, where the very first upside-down cake was accidentally invented by two sisters, who turned an almost burnt traditional apple pie into something more artistic and fun to eat (just turned the burnt top to the bottom...)

So, on the last day of the valid tasting date of the pineapple in our fridge, I should definitely honor it with a completely dazzling and somehow retro touch--making a Pineapple Upside-down cake.

Ingredients:

2 handful freshly sliced/chopped pineapple

150g butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour, sifted (wholemeal flour gives a very rustic and  more

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

    aromatic fragrance to the cake)

1/2 almond meal, sifted

1/2 cup plain flour, sifted

1/2 cup milk

For the caramel topping:

• 50g butter, sotened
• 75g brown sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.Grease a  22cm round cake pan. preferrably, line the base and
    side of the pan.

2. For the caramel topping, combine butter and sugar together until light in color, pour into the cake pan.

3. Add pineapple to the caramel. In an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until

    smooth and light in color. Add 1 egg first, beat until combined, then add the other

    egg,  beat again until well combined. Now add flours, then milk. a quick stir and

    combined.

4. Pour cake mixture over pineapple.Smooth top with a wooden spoon.

5. Bake for 40-50 minutes  or until cooked 

6. Leave in pan for about 8 minutes. Turn upside-down (Hence, the name) on a cake rack.
    Serve warm.