Let Them Eat...PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE!

Ingredients

Topping and Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 (8 ounce) can sliced pineapple, drained with juice reserved
1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained, with juice reserved
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved

Cake:
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup mixture of pineapple juice and maraschino cherry juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat the bottoms and sides of 2-9 inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle the bottom of each pan with 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

In one of the pans, Lay pineapple rings in a single layer on top of coconut. Place a cherry in the center of each ring. In the other pan, sprinkle coconut over the brown sugar and spread the drained crushed pineapple over the coconut.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until completely combined. Add vanilla, and beat for 1 minute.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add flour mixture alternately with juice combo, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Divide batter between the 2 pans. Remember which pan has the pineapple rings in it.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool in pans for 20 minutes.

While the bottoms of the cake pans are still warm to the touch, invert the layer with the crushed pineapple out onto a serving dish, then gently invert the layer with the pineapple rings on top of it for a dazzling two layer pineapple upside down cake.

To prevent cracking, after layering the cakes, place the pan, upside-down, back onto the top layer. Remove it after about half an hour.

Let Them Eat...BLACK CAKE!

Ingredients


2 cups prunes, pitted and chopped
2 cups raisins
2 cups currants
1/2 cup almonds
1 bottle cherry brandy, divided
1 bottle rum, divided
2 tablespoons Angostura bitters

4 cups of brown sugar, divided
1/4 cups unsalted butter
1/2 cup hot water

4 cups unbleached flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
10 large eggs
2 teaspoon grated lime peel
2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions

1-7 Days Before Bake Day:
Combine the prunes, raisins, currants, almonds, bitters, and enough cherry brandy and rum to completely soak the fruit-almond mix. Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate.

On Bake Day:
Pour the fruit-almond and liquor combo in a puree into a chunky paste.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a heated stock pot. Add the brown sugar and saute until the sugar turns a very deep burned tone of brown or basically black.  Gradually add hot water, and continually stir the mixture.  When all of the water has been added and the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool.  

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  Line 3-8" cake pans with two layers of parchment paper.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and sweet spices.

In a separate bowl, cream together 2 cups of butter and 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, after each one if fully incorporated.  Then add lime zest and vanilla.

Gradually add the dry ingredients 1/2 up at a time to the wet ingredients.

Mix in the pureed fruit-almond mix. Then add the cooled burned brown sugar.

Fill the lined baking pan 3/4 full with batter.  Bake in preheated oven at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 200 degrees F for remaining 1-1/2 hour of cooking.

Prick each of the three hot cakes and soak with a mixture of the remaining rum and cherry. Allow to soak for 12 hours or more.

This will not be your typical spongy cake.  This cake is closer to a texture of bread pudding!

Let Them Eat...CHUNKY APPLESAUCE CAKE!

Ingredients

Cake:
2 medium Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
Applesauce made from 2 Gala Apples (just halve this recipe from My Favorite Dinner Recipes)
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoon water, plus extra, as needed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally butter and flour a 10-inch fluted tube or Bundt pan. Set aside.

This cake pan is older than me! :-)

Prepare the streusel topping: Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over the cake.

Prepare the cake: In a large bowl, mix together the apples, applesauce, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt, and set aside.

In batches, mix the dry ingredients into the apple mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Top with the streusel topping, and bake until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Prepare the icing: In a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, half and haf, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla. Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable.

Pour the icing over the cake and allow to set for 20 minutes before slicing.

To be honest...I wasn't that wowed by this...I'm going to do a taste test, my adaptation of Giada's cake vs. my adaptation of Anne Burrell's cake, and see which one I prefer...

Adapted from:  Giada's Apple Spice Cake