Pineapple Upside Down Cake

When I was a kid, my Mom would make us Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I really liked it with the syrupy top. I forgot the cake is really sweet. The kids thought it was neat how the cake is made. It is a really simple cake to make. I tried very hard to it all the items blended but the butter still had pieced in it. When I cooked it, the cake had came together so I shouldn't have worried. My son helped me flip the cake and ta-da! The cake stayed whole. The kids loved it. My husband loved it. I thought it was a great way to bring me back to my childhood.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
1/4 & 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened and divided
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
9 slices of pineapples, drained
9 maraschino cherries, drained
1 1/3 cup all prupose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Evenly coat the bottom of the pan with 1/4 cup of melted butter.
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
5. Arrange the pineapple pieces in an even row over the brown sugar.
6. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple slice. Set aside.
7. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, 1/3 cup softened butter, baking powder, salt, milk, egg, and vanilla. 
8. Beat on low with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
9. Turn the mixer to high speed and allow to mix for 3 minutes. 
10. Pour the batter over the pineapples and cherries in the baking dish.
11. Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
12. Immediately, take a heatproof plate and place it upside down over the pan.
13. Turn the plate and pan over quickly.
14. Allow the cake to sit for a minute so the brown sugar mixture can drizzle over the cake.
15. Remove the pan and serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.

Two years ago.................................I made Roasted Apple Bread. 
Three years ago...............................I made Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.

Did you already know............................
-In 1901, James Dole formed the Hawaiian Pineapple Company.
-By 1923, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company was the largest pineapple packer in the world.
-In 1925, Dole sponsored a recipe contest  with many entries for Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Pineapple Syrup

My children's Nana told us how she loves pineapple pancakes. Since I've never had them before I decided to make them for us. I just made some pancakes and added pineapple pieces to the batter. We even topped the pancakes with additional pineapple. I do love fresh pineapple but I figured it was easier for my husband just to pick up a can of pineapple in pineapple juice. I asked my daughter if I should try making a syrup with the leftover pineapple juice. She said yes. My husband was skeptical. Well, the syrup was a hit. I think it would be a great topping over ice cream too.

Pineapple Syrup
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp arrowroot flour
6 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan,  whisk together the pineapple juice, sugar, buttermilk, and arrowroot.
2. Add the butter.
3. Over medium heat, allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes. 
4. Stir occasionally.
5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris. 

One year ago.....................................I made King Ranch Casserole.
Two years ago..................................I made Pineapple Kolaches.

Did you already...............
-Pineapples do not ripen anymore once they are picked.
-Depending on climate, a pineapple tends to take over 18 months to produce fruit.
-Pineapples may be native to South America but more pineapples are grown in the Philippines and Thailand.

Pineapple Kolaches

When I first purchased the Pastry Queen cookbook, I noticed the recipe for kolache right off. The photo looked like a yeast bun of some type. They looked familiar but I wasn't sure if I had ever had it before. Silly me! I have even made Kolaches before with a cheese filling and a dry apricot filling. When I made them before, I thought they were a danish but not so sweet or sticky. I think it was the filling in a yeast bread. I went back to my old cookbook and sure enough I had made them before. It was a bread machine cookbook. I know I made this before because I write a comment in my cookbooks of recipes I have made. I need to know if it is worth making the recipe again.

This weeks Project Pastry Queen was picked by Emily of She Makes and Bakes. Please check out the other member's variation since this recipe is so adaptable with some many different fillings. I will be trying this recipe again with a different filling. This time I used pineapple since I had it on hand. Since the recipe makes so many buns (yields about 18 buns), I made some sandwiches with ham and sharp cheddar. They aren't too sweet but very light.

Kolaches
Dough:
2 cups milk
1 (1/4 oz.) package dry yeast
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
8 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Filling:
1 oz. can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Streusel Topping:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it begins to steam and forms a skin. Do not boil.
2. Allow the milk to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes and the temperature of the milk has registered about 110 degrees F.
3. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and allow it to set for 5 minutes.
4. Microwave the butter until it has melted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, and melted butter.
6. Add the cooled milk and the yeast mixture.
7. Gradually, add the flour to the batter, 2 cups at a time.
8. With a wooden spoon, mix the flour with the wet ingredients with a light touch.
9. Keep adding flour until the dough begins to hold together and is incorporated. The dough will be sticky, moist, and light.
10. Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray.
11. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
12. Let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours. 
13. Punch down the dough until it deflates. 
14. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.
15. To make the pineapple filling: combine the pineapple with the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, cook the pineapple for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. 
16. Stir in 2 Tbsp unsalted butter. Set aside.
17. Grease a 12x17 inch baking sheet with cooking spray.
18. With lightly greased fingertips, shape the dough into 2 1/2 inch diameter balls. Arrange the dough evenly onto the baking pan, 3 across and 6 down.
19. Make a generous indentation into the each ball of dough. Do not pierce the bottom of the dough.
20. Mound about 1 heaping tsp. of pineapple filling into the dough indentation.
21. Cover the dough balls with a clean tea towel and allow to rise about 1 hour and the dough has almost doubled in size.
22. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
23. To make the streusel topping: in a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, and the butter until crumbly.
24. Scatter the streusel topping generously over the dough balls.
25. Bake the kolaches for about 25 to 30 minutes and lightly browned on top.
26. Allow the kolaches to cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Rebecca Rather of Pastry Queen cookbook. 

Did you already know...
-Kolaches are individual pastries that originate from Eastern Europe.
-They typically have a fruit or cheese filling.
-They are often eaten at Easter or Christmas time.

Banana split cake

Did your Mom make banana pudding a lot when you were growing up? It was one of my favorite desserts as a kid. I loved the pudding with bananas and cookies.

I still like the dessert but I never think to make it. When I saw this recipe, it did remind me of the childhood dessert but revised. The original recipe calls for honey grahams but I had to go with the Nilla wafers.

Banana split "cake"
1 1/2 cups Nilla wafer cookies, crushed
1/8 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 packages (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
4 bananas, sliced thinly
2 packages (3.4 oz) vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 cups cold milk
2 cups Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed
2 bananas, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the cookies, sugar, and butter.
2. Press the cookie mixture into a 13x9 or other desired pan. 
3. Freeze for 10 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar.
5. Carefully, spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the cookie layer.
6. Top the cream cheese with the pineapple.
7. Top the pineapple with the sliced bananas.
8. Beat the pudding mixes and milk with a whisk for about two minutes.
9. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip.
10. Spread the pudding mixture on top of the banana layer.
11. Top the pudding mixture with the remaining Cool Whip.
12. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
13. Before serving, top the dessert with slices of bananas.

Recipe slightly adapted from Food & Family Cookbook Best Loved: Quick & Easy Recipes page32.

Did you already know...
-Nilla wafers are made by Nabisco.
-In 2000, Kraft food acquired Nabisco. 
-Kraft food has over 100,000 employees worldwide.
-45% of the employees are women.