1 cn (large) Crushed or Sliced
-Hawaiian Pineapple, juice
-drained
2 c Flour
2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Butter or substitute
1 c Sugar
2 Eggs, separated
1/2 c Milk
1 ts Vanilla
2 tb Butter
1 c Brown sugar
Maraschino cherries for
-garnish
Whipped cream, optional
This is the authentic recipe that won in Dole’s first recipe contest. It
launched Pineapple Upside Down Cake on its way to fame. It’s very good –
and very sweet, as most desserts were in those days.
In 1925 the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, as Dole was known then, ran an ad
for a recipe contest, seeking creative and original recipes using
pineapple. The chosen recipes would be published in a cookbook titled
Pineapple as 100 Good Cooks Serve It. The book, published in 1926 contains
a recipe for “Upside Down Cake,” from Mrs. Robert Davis of Norfolk
Virginia.
The contest drew a response of 60,000 recipes – 2,500 of which were for
Pineapple Upside Down Cake. A $50 cash prize was given for each of the 100
recipes that were chosen for the cookbook. The contest ad ran just once in
nine women’s magazines including Woman’s Home Companion, McCall’s and
Modern Priscilla.
Since 2,500 Upside Down Cake recipes were submitted, it’s obvious the
concept was not new. But the contest certainly gave the recipe the
widespread publicity. The company ran ads about the unusual response of
recipes for Pineapple Upside Down Cakes – which gained the dish even more
notoriety. Talk about the power of advertising!
Drain the juice from 1 large can either Crushed or Sliced Hawaiian
Pineapple. Sift 2 cups flour. Sift again with 2 teaspoons baking powder and
1/2 teaspoon salt. Cream 1/2 cup butter or substitute, gradually add 1 cup
sugar; cream well. Beat yolks and whites of 2 eggs separately.
Add yolks to creamed mixture; mix well, then add flour and 1/2 cup milk
alternately, mixing well. Fold the 2 beaten egg whites and 1 teaspoon
vanilla.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large frying pan. Spread 1 cup of brown sugar
over pan. Add pineapple (if Sliced is used, place slices closely together
on the sugar; if crushed, simply pour in the well-drained fruit).
Pour cake batter over fruit. Bake 45 minutes. Turn upside-down on serving
dish and garnish with maraschino cherries. Whipped cream may be spread over
top.
SOURCE: Dole Packaged Food Company
Yields
1 Servings