turn down for cake

pineapple upside down cake

take that, suzy homemaker

usually when i think of pineapple upside down cake, i think of some 1950s suburban housewife from middle america who decided to give her jello molds a rest and looked to her betty crocker cookbook for some "exotic" inspiration. (i think i just described my grandmother...love you!) stereotype aside, this cake is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.

as a demonstration of women's rights and my power of choice, i decided to omit the traditional maraschino cherries and instead use a honey glaze to add some sticky-sweetness to the cake. the end product is a sensationally moist, vanilla, buttermilk cake topped with sweet, tangy pineapple rings and honey. as a testament to its sheer deliciousness, my boyfriend ate 25% of the cake in one sitting and then had to go lay down. he has no regrets.

enjoy this outrageously simple, wonderfully flavorful recipe!

ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter, plus extra for greasing

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 cups flour

3 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup honey

1 can pineapple rings

directions:

preheat oven to 350F

in a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together

in a separate bowl, whisk together cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour

using a mixer on low-medium speed, add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/vanilla mixture

add eggs and buttermilk to the mixing bowl and continue to mix until batter is well-combined

use butter to grease a 9" round cake pan (you can also use a skillet)

pour honey into buttered pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom

place pineapple rings in the pan on top of the honey and then pour cake batter over the pineapple rings

use a spatula if necessary to spread the batter evenly in the pan

bake cake for one hour

after removing from the oven, let cake sit in the pan for 3-5 minutes; then place a plate on top of the pan and invert

serve warm or at room temperature

oh. my. gourd.

pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

pumpkin you up, girly-man!

it's not fall...or halloween...or thanksgiving; pumpkins aren't even in season. but that's the beauty of publix america. i'm proud to live in a country that considers justin bieber's DUI breaking news offers us canned, pure pumpkin 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

besides being available every day of the year, pumpkins in this country are available in all sorts of shapes, sizes, fictional holiday figures, and reality TV show personalities. my favorite of the aforementioned being honey boo boo's questionably-human older sister, also known as lauryn.

now that you are thoroughly disturbed and have most likely lost your appetite, back to the cupcakes. a blanket of rich, soft, cream cheese frosting rests on these warm, moist, pumpkin spice cakes. this treat is an absolute hit with my family and friends and can be served with or without frosting (hello, muffins!). i gave these cupcakes a healthy makeover thanks to egg whites and a blend of low-fat yogurt and canola oil...i also gave myself an excuse to eat extra cream cheese frosting. not sorry.

enjoy!

cake ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large egg whites (~1/4 cup if your eggs come in a pour-able container like mine do. again, not sorry)

1 cup pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

frosting ingredients:

1/2 lb good quality cream cheese, softened (recommend philadelphia)

1 stick of butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

directions:

preheat oven to 350 F.

using a whisk, combine brown sugar and egg whites; add pumpkin, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract and stir to combine in a large bowl.

in a second bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until batter is combined.

pour batter into a muffin tin with cupcake liners until about 2/3 full (~2 tbsp of batter per cupcake).

bake cupcakes for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

while cupcakes are baking, prepare frosting by beating cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. add confectioner's sugar and cinnamon and continue to beat until frosting is light and fluffy.

let cupcakes cool to room temperature before frosting.

once frosted, sift some ground cinnamon on top of the cupcakes for a little extra flavor and flair.

note: if you don't have a piping bag, place frosting in a gallon-size plastic bag and cut the tip off of one of the bottom corners. voilà!