Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 can of pineapple slices
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons cake flour
• 6 tablespoons ground almonds
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 8 candied or maraschino cherries

Directions

1. Use butter to coat a non-stick cake pan very generously; it should be 10-inch in diameter, with sides that rise at least 2-inch.
2. Warm the brown sugar and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat for several minutes, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is bubbling. Once the sugar has melted, stop stirring.
3. Pour the hot caramel into the prepared pan. Lay the pineapple slices over it in a single layer.
4. Set the oven to 325 degrees F.
5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt.
6. In another bowl, beat the sugar with the butter using an electric mixer, stopping when the mixture looks light. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, mixing after each addition, then blend in the vanilla.
7. Alternate adding the dry mixture and the sour cream, using 2 additions each and beating thoroughly after every addition.
8. Pour the batter over the caramel and pineapple, then smooth the top.
9. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 1 hour, until a tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. If you are using an instant read thermometer, the center should be about 205 degrees F.
10. Set the pan on a rack and let the cake cool for 5 minutes. After the cake has cooled for 5 minutes, invert it onto a platter while it is still warm.
11. If any topping stays behind in the pan, lift it out with a butter knife and patch it back onto the cake.
12. For the optional candied or maraschino cherries, place 1 in the center of each pineapple round.
13. Serve warm or at room temperature.