Do as I Say

Pineapple Cake. Nope, not that flipped over rings of pineapple coated in buttery brown sugar kind, the other one. Uh huh. Believe it or not, pineapple cakes can made using other techniques. Just do as I say, and not as I did. Do not.under any circumstances open that blasted oven door until you are within the range of 5 minutes to doneness. I tried to bake brownies alongside the cake to cut down on oven use, but it backfired when my sadly sunken cake finally made it's way out of the hot box. Thankfully, it isn't eye-poppingly obvious, but deep down inside I know I screwed it up. Shhh. Let's let that be our secret.

Other than faulty execution, the cake is a cinch to bake, flavorful, and summertime-friendly. Pineapple is a staple fruit available year-round in the tropics, so when a friend asked for a piña cake, I couldn't help but oblige, happy to try something other than the standard upside-down cake. The recipe contains no fats other than that of the egg yolks, but somehow manages to bake up moist and tender. Yum! I slathered it haphazardly with fluffy vanilla frosting, and shoved it waaay back into the fridge to avoid temptation before my pal came to pick it up.

Pineapple Cake
Adapted from All-Recipes
Cake:
2 c. AP flour
1 t. baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. crushed pineapple and a couple teaspoons of juice, if using canned
1/2 c. pineapple preserves If you don't have this around and don't want to make it, use more crushed fruit

Frosting:
Pioneer Woman's Favorite Frosting

5 T. flour
1 c. milk
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter (or half margarine or shortening, half butter)
1 t. vanilla
pinch salt

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour one 9x19" baking dish or 2-8" rounds. Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Stir in sugar, eggs, and pineapple until combined. Pour into pans and bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted removes clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan and remove to cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk and slowly whisk in the flour and salt. Stir the mix constantly until it thickens up to the consistency of paste. Don't worry here, if in doubt, err on the side of overly thick. Set aside to cool completely, while removing butter from the fridge to warm up a bit.

When flour paste is cooled, cream butter and sugar with vanilla until light and fluffy, scraping bowl from time to time. Add in flour paste and beat 5-10 minutes, or until light and resembling whipped cream. Slather all over that gorgeous cake and serve it up to your favorite friends.