Pineapple Upside-Down Cake & A Mad Men Giveaway! #PartyLikeaMadMan

Today I am toasting the Mad Men season Finale!

The authors, Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlinm, of The Unofficial Man Men Cookbook were kind enough include me in their Mad Men Blogger Virtual Dinner Party! I confess that I have not seen all the seasons of Mad Men, but I have watched a number of times and enjoyed it each time! I love cookbooks that are linked to television or movies, and this The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook does not disappoint. I love that each recipe contained the episode information and a little history about the food. There were some many fantastic things to choose from like Jackie Kennedy's Avocado and Crabmeat Mimosa, Chicken Kiev, Shrimp Curry Canapes.....It was hard to decide! However, there has been something sitting on my must make for a few YEARS and it is Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. The recipe in the cookbook used a cast-iron skillet versus the more modern baking dish or spring form.  I knew that this was a must make for me! 

The pineapple upside-down cake can be seen in Season 2, episode 1, "For Those Who Think Young".  The cake is Kitty's recipe and she and her husband Salvatore Romano enjoy it while celebrating Valentine's Day.  I learned a few interesting facts about pineapple upside-down cake. The cake was first made in 1800's when ovens were unreliable and skillets were used to make cakes, but it was not made popular until the 1920's when canned pineapple became mainstream (by none other than Dole!)

I was a little intimidated by the foil lining and cooking the cake, but it was way easier than I imagined! The cake turned out beautiful. The top was gooey and moist and the cake was dense and sweet. This is one of my favorite cakes and I am so excited that I finally took the plunge and made it at home- hopefully it would have made Kitty proud! 

Please visit the Mad Men Blogger Virtual Dinner Party to see what tasty treats my fellow bloggers are sharing, and #PartylikeaMadMan! 

GIVEAWAY ALERT! I am giving away a copy of The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook so you can make and enjoy all of the wonderful retro recipes. Enter with Rafflecopter below!

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Ingredients

for the topping:

5 Tbl butter

3/4 cup brown sugar 

7 canned pineapple rings (reserve the syrup)

Maraschino cherries, for decorating

for the cake:

10 Tbl butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup syrup from pineapple can

1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients

Line a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with aluminum foil, completely covering the bottom and the sides and extending the foil over edges of the pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Make the topping: Place butter in the skillet, place skillet in oven, and melt butter. As soon as the butter has melted, remove and stir in the brown sugar. Mix very carefully so you do not tear the foil. Arrange pineapple slices over the butter/sugar spread. Place cherries in the center on the pineapple rings and between the slices of pineapple. 

Make the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar till smooth. In a separate bowl, stir flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, syrup and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture while beating on medium-low speed. Spread batter evenly across the pineapple mixture in the cast-iron skillet. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for about 10 minutes. Place a large plate over the skillet, invert and remove. Gently peel off the aluminum foil, pressing back and pineapple that sticks. Cut into slices and serve.