Cake Baking 101

[Tulip]

I don't bake. It's too exact and veers sharply from my normal way of cooking. I have been buying cakes from the bakery and passing them off as my own for years.

So, that being said I have decided to bake a pineapple upside down cake for Thanksgiving. I have one recipe that is Paula Deen style complete with a cast iron skillet and a next that sounds like I'm making angel food cake.

It took me a lot of words to say it, but how do I make a good pineapple upside cake that somebody will enjoy eating?

[Pepper]

I would go with Paula Deen's recipie. She has never let me down yet.

on your scam.

[CeaBee]

you cant go wrong with pineapple, sugar and paula deen

(unless u trying to eat healthy )

[Tulip]

I would go with Paula Deen's recipie. She has never let me down yet.

on your scam.

It's a shame isn't it? Probably all those times that nobody saw so much as a hand mixer up in here should have been a hint and a half. But I have now ordered mixer and am going to bake a cake. I'll go with the Paula Deen route.

[Tulip]

you cant go wrong with pineapple, sugar and paula deen

(unless u trying to eat healthy )

Healthy? I wuldn't care if you said put Crisco in it. I just want it to taste good lol,

[Gen]

you'll do fine, upside down cake is fairly easy to make

i haven't had this cake much since I left jamaica

boy time flies

[Tulip]

you'll do fine, upside down cake is fairly easy to make

i haven't had this cake much since I left jamaica

boy time flies

Now remember i originally said Paula Deen-style. I looked hers up on Tne Food Network and it's a bit different involving buttermilk and I don't have any complaints about it but the recipe i have is below. Can that make a good cake? You have to treat me like a toddler in this matter in that the only thing I bake from scratch is corn bread.

1 3/4 cups flour
6 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup cherries
1 cup pineapple
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1 In bowl, mix flour, first six tablespoons of butter, eggs, baking powder, sugar, salt, and milk with a spoon to form a lumpy batter.

2 Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter and brown sugar in cast iron skillet on low heat.

3 When sugar and butter are melted, sprinkle in about 1 cup of well-drained fruit. Pour batter mixture on top so that all fruit is covered.

4 Bake in center of oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until center of cake tests done.

5 Remove skillet from oven and immediately invert the skillet onto platter.

6 If the cake doesn't drop on the first try, re-heat the skillet for a minute or two on the stovetop to loosen the sugars, but be careful as the fruit and sugar is very hot.

[Gen]

I don't have my mother's recipe with me but that recipe looks ok

I have never used a skillet to make it, just a regular baking tin.

the only disaster I could predict is that the cake doesn't "drop" (to use their word) on the first try, or just breaking to pieces when you invert it

remember to Preheat the oven

twiney will be here soon with plenty of baking tips

[Gen]

Solutions for Common Cake Baking Problems

• If your cake falls, it could be because your oven was not hot enough or you did not bake the cake long enough, the batter was undermixed, or too much baking powder, soda, liquid or sugar was used. To avoid this, try not opening the oven door while baking and being very accurate with measuring your ingredients.
• If your cake peaks in the center, your oven may have been too hot at the start of baking, or you could have used too much flour and not enough liquid. Again, be precise in your measurements to avoid this common mistake.
• If your cake is heavy, you probably overmixed the batter when adding the flour and liquid. Also, your oven temperature could be too low, or you may have used too much shortening, sugar, or liquid.
• If your cake is coarse, you most likely did not mix the batter enough. If mixing more does not resolve the problem, it could be because the oven temperature was too low, or too much baking power or soda was used.
• If your cake is dry, it could be because of overbaking, overbeating egg whites, using too much flour, baking powder, or soda, or not enough shortening or sugar.
• If your cake cracks and falls apart, try not removing it from the pan too soon. Also, it could be a result of too much shortening, baking powder, baking soda, or sugar.

took this from southern living

[Gen]

from america's test kitchen (on pbs i think), the rest is at the link, haven't tested the 10mins cooling theory though

As soon as canned pineapple became readily available in the early 1900s, the pineapple evolved from a once-exotic symbol of hospitality into the latest food trend. But it really came into its own when it appeared on top of the pineapple upside-down cake. The recipe was based on the simple technique of cooking fruit in sugar and butter in a heavy skillet, topping it with cake batter, then baking it. To serve, the cake was turned “upside down.”

Sounds simple enough. But timing is key when unmolding an upside-down cake. When upended hot from the oven, the fruit layer is still too juicy and fluid, so it slides untidily over the cake layer. But if the cake cools for too long, the fruit will stick to the pan. The trick is cooling it for the perfect amount of time: 10 minutes. This is long enough to allow the fruit layer to firm up a bit so it adheres to the cake—but short enough so the cake will be easy to release from the pan—keeping the glistening, caramelized, deep amber topping right where it should be.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/05/secrets-to-perfect-pineapple-upside-down-cake/

[twiney]

My first test of the pineapple upside cake was good old duncan hines yellow cake mix sugar butter and tin of pineapple slices and cherries. That was a long time ago before I started baking from scratch. That recipe I don't like as I like my cake light and fluffy which means that butter and sugar gotta get creamed first.

[Gen]

that is Tulip back up plan

to use ms crocker or mr hines, if her cake flops.

[Tulip]

[QUOTE=Gen;671664]I don't have my mother's recipe with me but that recipe looks ok

I have never used a skillet to make it, just a regular baking tin.

the only disaster I could predict is that the cake doesn't "drop" (to use their word) on the first try, or just breaking to pieces when you invert it

remember to Preheat the oven

twiney will be here soon with plenty of baking tips[/QUOTE

If you find your mama's recipe, then thank God. I mean I'm just saying you can't tell I'd have to pitty pat that together? I can already see how that sugar and stuff is going to get stuck on the top.

Twiney, according to Gen, ypu're the spot. You know what I'm asking You feel like jus telling me how to do it?

[twiney]

Tules I found a recipe on robinhood website close to what I use as i dont intend to go type out from the hard copy version I have

only thing i can add is pre-heat the oven! and put your pan in the middle of the oven.



Ingredients:

Topping
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, melted
1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar, packed
9 pineapple rings
9 Maraschino cherries
Cake
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
3/4 cup (175 mL) milk
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) Robin Hood® All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
Topping
2. Combine melted butter and brown sugar and spread in bottom of ungreased 9" (2.5L) pan. Place pineapple rings on top of sugar mixture and a cherry in the centre of each ring. Set aside.
Cake
3. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl of electric mixer, until light and creamy. Add milk and mix until combined. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
4. Spread batter evenly over pineapple.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, loosen cake around edges and invert onto a serving plate.

[Tulip]

Thanks Twiney and Gen! I really learned something new. Among other things, preheating the oven sounds like serious business. I'm going to go with the recipe you posted Twines. I'll post a pic of the results in a few weeks.