Reduced-Fat Pineapple Upside Down Cake
(from Bethany’s recipe box)
Serves 8
If you can’t find frozen pineapple, substitute fresh.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For a sweeter, fresher flavor, we opted for frozen pineapple, which was more consistent than fresh fruit. We also drastically decreased the butter and used fat-free sour cream in place of the full-fat variety. To improve the color of the cake, we replaced some of the white sugar in the batter with brown. Because brown sugar is moister and more flavorful than white sugar, we could reduce the total sugar in the batter without worrying the cake would be dry or undersweetened. Merely topping pineapple with batter and baking the cake in the oven resulted in a soggy mess. To combat the problem, we sautéed the fruit with sugar on the stovetop to caramelize the pineapple and reduce some of the juices.
Traditional pineapple upside-down cake recipes have 430 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 13 grams of saturated fat per slice. Our changes brought the numbers down to 310 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 6 grams of saturated fat.
Source: Cook's Country April/May 2011
Categories: Desserts
Ingredients
- PINEAPPLE TOPPING:
- 4 cups frozen pineapple, thawed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- CAKE:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
Directions
-
For the topping, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch cake pan. Cook pineapple and brown sugar in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until pineapple is light brown and juices are nearly evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes. Off heat, stir in butter, lemon juice, and vanilla. Scrape pineapple mixture into bottom of prepared pan.
-
For the cake, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk sour cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk butter into sour cream mixture until incorporated. Stir flour mixture into wet mixture until just combined.
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Scrape batter over pineapple mixture, spreading to cover. Bake until cake is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto platter. Cool at least 1 hour. Serve. (Cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, for 2 days.)