Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

 TOPPING

1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar

sliced pineapple (6 canned slices or use fresh)

15-20 maraschino cherries

CAKE

1 and 2/3 cups (210g) all-purpose flour, careful not to overmeasure

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature preferred

1/4 cup (60g) yogurt*

1/2 cup (120ml) milk or buttermilk*

1/4 (60ml) cup pineapple juice (reserved from the canned pineapple or use fresh)

1 Tablespoon (15ml) vanilla extract

 How to Make It

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Prepare topping first. Place 1/4 cup of melted butter into a 9-inch pie dish or 9x2 inch round cake pan. Make sure it is a deep pan! Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Top with pineapple slices and arrange cherries between the pineapple slices. See my photo for a visual. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in the sugars vigorously getting out any brown sugar lumps - mixture will be gritty. Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.

Pour/spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for at 40-48 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil (loosely to avoid the top from sticking to the foil) at the 20 minute mark to avoid browning. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Invert cake on top of a cake stand or a large serving plate. Slice and serve warm, room temperature, or even cold. Try serving with vanilla ice cream - it's a delicious combination. Cover cake and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.