Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

My family loved it so much I decided to make one and take it to work where they raved over it. A couple said it was the best cake they'd ever eaten.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

Being from "The South," I've tasted many different versions of Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. This, by far, is the best one I've made or tried. I don't like wimpy cakes or breads and this is NOT a wimpy cake. The cornmeal really gives the cake substance and texture. The one thing I do differently is add a little pineapple juice to the cake batter. YUM!

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

I love you, Alton, but not your pineapple upside down cake -- sorry. Maybe the first hint was the corn meal ingredient. This is a very .... um... textural cake. Actually, it's a kind of muffin, or at least it goes together like one. I don't have a cast iron skillet, but I've made my share of upside down cakes, so I didn't let that stop me. You use more bowls making the cake without a skillet, but I decided to try this cake out in a new Nordicware upside down cake pan I received for Xmas. I don't like marachino cherries -- I use a few dried cranberries in the centers of the pineapple rings, or just a pecan half. Cake came out beautiful to the eye, but, to me (a veteran of upside down cakes, I've certainly tasted better. Most recipes have similar pineapple/brown sugar/butter tops. What it all boils down to is the cake part, right? Try Alton's top recipe, but just use a Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme cake mix. I always use the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple rings for the liquid ingredient (you need to add water to bring the measurement up to the 1 1/3 cups specified on the cake mix box. I add a scant 1/4 tsp of baking soda to offset the acid of the juice. It's so much easier, and the result is scrumptious! Sorry, Alton -- I wanted to like your cake, but I've heard you say before on your program that the commercial cake mix guys add special chemicals we can't access, and that makes their cakes better than most homemade scratch cakes. My husband, by the way, would have given you 4 stars....

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

I took inspiration from Alton's recipe but adapted it to exclude wheat flour. (My wife can't eat wheat products or anything else containing gluten. The cake turned out great... a great flavor combination, with the corn and pineapple and pecans and brown sugar. Interesting rustic texture for down home goodness. I have made the cake several times, and most people who have tried it have liked it.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

Very simple to make, great taste, interesting texture - not quite what I expected, though.

The grittiness and high density made this cake a much different experience than I had envisioned. More of a "pineapple upside-down sweet polenta" than a cake.

Still, one can't argue with results, and by the measure of what I found on the end of my fork, the results were delicious.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

Followed Alton's recipe exactly and in 40 minutes the cake was done. Easiest and ONLY cake I ever made too! After cool-down the taste test began and it was wonderful. Better yet the next day, as some of the crunchies of the cornmeal went away(depends on your preference.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

Taste was good, and recipe easy, but not sure of the texture. Was the cornmeal suppose to still be gritty? After I made it, I wondered if there was an error in the amount of milk- typically you think of using twice the amount of liquid to cornmeal. I am pretty sure I soaked the cormeal 30 minutes, is not a little more. Guess I will look for this episode again.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

I adjusted the recipe so that you can make a cake that will fill out a 12" Lodge skillet, and rounded everything to a doable measurement.

1 cup milk
1 1/3 cups cornmeal
5 1/2 ounces butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
8 pineapple rings & maraschino cherries
1/2 cup pecans
4 tbsp. pineapple juice
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup canola oil

This is a great cake for those who like desserts with a more complex flavor. It's not overly sweet and seems like it would go well with an adult after dinner drink, like brandy. I don't think I would have liked it when I was a kid, though.

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

I watched the show with my older son, and we were a bit dubious, but Alton has never let us down in the past. No more effort required than a regular pineapple upside-down cake, and the cornmeal adds great flavor & texture. In fact, I'm headed into the kitchen to make it again :-

Flag

Flag This Review?

You must provide a reason for flagging this review.

Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.

• Submit

or Cancel

This was so much easier to make than I thought it was going to be. It was just delicious too. I will definately make this again.