Chef John's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This iconic American dessert looks like a simple, rustic fruit cobbler when it comes out of the oven, all browned and bubbling, but a few minutes later, when it’s turned over and that gloriously caramelized surface is revealed, it becomes so much more.

Original recipe makes 1 12-inch cake

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pineapple juice
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 small fresh pineapple – peeled, cored, and sliced

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup cold milk

PREP

15 mins
COOK

45 mins
READY IN

1 hr 20 mins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in brown sugar, pineapple juice, and dark rum. Cook over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and spread pineapple slices in a layer over the brown sugar mixture, completely covering the mixture. Set skillet aside.
Melt 1/2 cup butter in small skillet over low heat until the butter begins to brown and release a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully, butter burns easily. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Whisk together flour, cardamom, salt, baking powder, and white sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in egg and cold milk until just combined. Pour in melted butter and stir to mix thoroughly.
Pour batter over the pineapple slices in the skillet; spread evenly to cover.
Bake in preheated oven until the cake begins to bubble around the edges, the top is browned, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the skillet for 10 minutes.
Loosen the cake from the skillet by running a knife around the inside edge of the cake. Invert a large plate over the top of the skillet and flip over, releasing the cake to show the pineapple slices on top.