Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004

Show: Good EatsEpisode: True Grits

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (34)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(34)

Cook Time:
50 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
1 (10-inch) cake

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 30 min
Cook: 50 min
Total:: 1 hr 50 min

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Ingredients

3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
4 ounces unsalted butter
8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup
6 slices canned pineapple in heavy syrup
6 maraschino cherries
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3 tablespoons juice from canned pineapple
3 whole eggs
4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 3/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a microwave-proof dish, bring the milk to a boil. Remove the milk from the microwave and add the cornmeal. Stir and let soak at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully place 1 slice of pineapple in the center of the pan. Place the other 5 slices around the center slice in a circle. Place the cherries in the centers of the pineapple slices and sprinkle the nuts evenly over the fruit. Drizzle pineapple juice over top.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the canola oil and whisk. Add the cornmeal and milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Add this to the flour and stir just until combined. Pour the batter over the fruit in the skillet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes in the skillet. Set a platter on top of the skillet and carefully invert the cake. Serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
nallely oceanside, CA 09-30-2009
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best ever!!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

my husband loves pineapple upside down cake but i had never actually made one. So i decided to try this one becasue it seemed... easy enough and i always love altons recipe's... needless to say my husband loved it and said it was the best pineapple upside down cake he has ever had. it is not like a real cake all fluffy but more like a cornbread ...i loved it and so did everyone else we brought it to! definately try this one especially if you are a fan of cornbread!Read more
recipe Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
Marcia Tupelo, MS 07-22-2009
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Fantastic
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My 10 yr. old grandson has been cooking with me for years. This recipe, was made all by Tyler. Very, very, good.
recipe Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
Leonie Elmont, NY 12-22-2008
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Too good, dangerous!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Made this last night, only problem I found the amount of milk 3/4 cup was not enough to soak the 1 cup cornmeal. I had to... end up adding about 1/2 - 1 cup more milk. However the end result was to die for.Read more
recipe Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
Lisa Grass Lake, MI 10-19-2008
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TRUE BAD
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I thought this would be really good since I love cornbread and every Good Eats recipe I've tried, but it was just TOO GRITTY... for the whole family. I'll stick to a TRUE CAKE version for future upside down adventures.Read more
recipe Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
Launa Portland, OR 02-14-2008
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Valentine's Day
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Trying to think of something less origanal to make for the man of my dreams, I came across Alton's receipt and it looked so... good when I watched him make it I had to try it. Well it was the perfect dessert for our Valentine's Day. Thank You, so much for this wonderful cake.Read more
recipe Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
kristie lone tree, CO 02-04-2008
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True...gritty
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I really, really wanted for this to work out, but the fact is that the cake was extremely gritty after it was cooked. I used... the EXACT same cornmeal as Alton, same brand and everything, and made sure to soak it for long enough, but it still sucked. My mom liked it, which was good because it meant I could unload it at her house. Also, I did the math and it's about 540 calories per smallish slice. Not worth it.Read more