Pineapple Upside Down Cake

When she had to pack all our family belongings into a few trunks to move overseas, space was at a premium, so my mom chose to take a small paperback novel sized edition of the red plaid Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. This is the book I used through my teen years. When I was a young adult, my mom gave me a larger, nicer copy. I think each one of my siblings in turn received one as a cooking bible. It would be hard to choose just one cook book to take to a desert island, but if I had to, like my mother, I think I might chose this one. It doesn’t have the glossy pictures of food porn that make many cook books more like coffee table books than useful kitchen tools, but it does have a wealth of simple familiar recipes that everyone loves.

This is all that’s left of the page that held the Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe. I folded it up again and tucked it back between the pages when I was done with the photo. The bottom half is missing but I still remember what to do. Works with canned peaches or pears too. Maybe add a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg. When recipes are loved too much do they become Real too?

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1 8 ½ oz. can sliced pineapple

3 T butter

½ c brown sugar

4 maraschino cherries, halved

½ c shortening

½ c granulated sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 c flour

1 ¼ t baking powder

¼ t salt

Drain pineapple, reserving syrup. Halve pineapple slices. Melt butter in 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Add brown sugar and 1 T reserved syrup. Add water to remaining syrup to make ½ c. Arrange pineapple in bottom of pan. Place cherry half in center of each pineapple slice. Cream shortening, add sugar, then egg and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with reserved syrup. Pour into pan. Bake 350° for 30-45 minutes. Let cool a few minutes, then place a plate over the bottom and invert. Serve warm.