Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
This classic cake, with its moist, flavorful topping of pineapple rings and cherries (nuts optional), has been an American favorite for at least 90 years. It became popular after an early 20th-century Dole engineer invented a machine that would slice that company's signature product — pineapple — into perfect rings; the first recipe appeared in print in 1923.
This particular recipe, baked in a 9" round cake pan, makes a thin layer of cake topped with perfectly spaced pineapple rings. Baking in an 8" pan would yield a taller cake, but the rings would be crowded together. Either way, the cake is buttery, brown sugary, and VERY tasty.
