Well, it seems like mother nature doesn’t seem to be looking forward to Spring as much as I am, since she’s decided to cover us in two feet of snow, and blistering cold temperatures that are sure to make these piles of ice linger for a while. I keep envisioning my mornings watching the Jamaican sunrise, eating fresh papaya, completely surrounded by beautiful nature. Since that won’t be happening for a while, even with Spring just thirty-five days away, what does one do on snow days stuck indoors, of course bake.
I wanted to make a cake that evoked all the comforting warm flavors we long for on cold days, but had all the tropical flavors of the sunny Caribbean. Nothing else came to mind but pineapple upside down cake, which I gave an extra boost of summer by simmering it with mango and sweet brown sugar. While the weather outside may be blistering cold and covered in endless amounts of powdering snow, this cake tastes even better served slightly warm, making it the perfect treat to make you forget about the brutal winter.
- Pineapple Mango Mixture
- 2 tablespoons - Unsalted Butter {cut into pieces}
- 3/4 cup - Brown Sugar {packed, plus more for pineapple}
- 1/2 teaspoon - Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon - Ground Nutmeg
- 1 1/2 lbs - Mango {fresh or frozen, chopped}
- 2 1/2 lbs - Pineapple {You'll need 11 to 12 rings for the top of the cake, then chop the remaining pineapple - I used organic canned pineapple but fresh works well}
- Cake Layer
- 2 1/4 cup - All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon - Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon - Baking Soda
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon - Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 sticks - Unsalted Butter {room temperature, cut into pieces}
- 1 1/2 cups - Granulated Sugar
- 3 large - Eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons - Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon - Greek Yogurt
- For the pineapple mango mixture, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, and butter a 10" spring-form cake pan. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat, lay the pineapple rings flat and sprinkle with brown sugar where they are almost covered in sugar. Brown each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until brown sugar melts and creates a glaze. Lay rings in the bottom of the buttered cake pan.
- In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, combine the mango, pineapple, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Heat, stirring until juices thicken {about 7 to 8 minutes}. Let sit for a minute or two, then spread atop the pineapple rings.
- For the cake batter, sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. With a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy {about 2 to 3 minutes}. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. On low-speed, add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the yogurt. Spread the batter atop the pineapple-mango mixture, leveling with an offset spatula.
- Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean {about 1 hour}. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Run knife around edges of cake pan, and invert cake onto plate. Serve cake or room temperature or slightly warm.
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