Pineapple Chilli Upsidedown Cake

Upsidedown cake. Reminiscent of school years, a classic pudding that came with lumpy custard; the addition of chilli makes this cake somewhat out of the ordinary and therefore perfectly fabulous as a dinner party dessert. It's not hot or spicy but it has a kick that you can't quite put your finger on. The red flecks give this cake attitude and the sprinkling of lime zest give it that third dimension.... but underneath the sophistication of the sweet chilli syrup is a fabulously retro layer of artfully arranged tinned pineapple. I can't help but drink the remaining juice either (out of the tin, I add with some guilt!). The man from Del Monte would be proud.




Anyway, onto the recipe (adapted from Delicious Magazine)

Ingredients

• 200g golden syrup 
• One red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped 
• Zest of one lime 
• A tin of sliced pineapple in juice (567g tin) 
• 225g unsalted butter 
• 225g caster sugar 
• 4 eggs lightly beaten 
• 225g self-raising flour 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees, (fan-oven temp)

2. Put the golden syrup, chilli and zest into a small pan and warm through for a couple of minutes, to let the flavours mingle, then pour just over half into the base of a non-stick 8" (23cm) baking tin (do not use a loose bottom tin or the syrup will escape! If this is all you have, place a baking try covered with foil in the oven below your tin to catch any drips).

3. Take 7 of your pineapple rings and arrange over the syrup, like the picture below. Chop the remaining pineapple and set aside.





4. Using an electric hand mixer, or a 'whizzer' with the whisk attachment, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

5. Add the beaten eggs in four stages, whilst slowly whizzing, adding a table spoon of your flour half way to prevent curdling.

6. Finally, fold in the flour and add 2 tablespoons of the pineapple juice and stir briefly to combine. Add the chopped pineapple and pour the mixture into the tin on top of the pineapple rings and syrup

7. Ensure the middle of the cake is slightly dipped with a spoon - if you don't, the cake will dome as it rises higher in the middle, and you will have a wobbly, wonky cake when you turn it out.

8. Bake for 45 minutes, then check it's done by poking a skewer into the middle of the cake - it should come out clean. If it doesn't pop the cake back in the oven for a few more minutes then try again. Leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes.

9. Finally, carefully turn your cake out onto a large serving plate. Warm the remaining syrup through and pour over the cake. Serve warm with cream or custard.



Perfection.