Get ready to blast from the past with this retro Dole pineapple upside-down cake recipe that will make you feel like a golden-age housewife (minus the pearls and high heels)
Have you ever tried an old-school pineapple cake recipe? It’s like a delicious time capsule from the 1950s, complete with canned fruit and a healthy dose of nostalgia.
Sure, you could make a fancy modern cake with avocado frosting and edible flowers, but why bother when you can whip up a dessert that would make Betty Draper proud?
So put on your apron, crank up the Andrews Sisters on the record player, and prepare to bake like it’s 1949.
Here’s a recipe for an old-school pineapple upside-down cake:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 can sliced pineapple (20 oz), drained
- Maraschino cherries, drained
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Melt the butter in a 9-inch round cake pan, making sure to coat the bottom and sides.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
- Arrange the pineapple slices on top of the brown sugar in a single layer.
- Place the maraschino cherries in the center of each pineapple ring.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- In another bowl, beat the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk, until everything is well combined.
- Pour the batter over the pineapple and cherries in the prepared cake pan. (See pan below)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto a serving plate, and carefully remove the pan.
- If desired, serve the cake warm or at room temperature, garnished with additional maraschino cherries or whipped cream.
TIP: For a little tweak on this recipe, try switching out the vanilla extract for rum extract. You can also make cupcakes or muffins in lieu of a cake.
Enjoy your old-school pineapple upside-down cake!
Adventure Girl Team:
We tried this recipe, but tweaked it a little with a Keto cake mixture. Although the end result doesn’t look as pretty as the photos with the original recipe, it sure tastes great!
Did you know?
One interesting fact about old-school pineapple upside-down cake is that it became trendy in the 1950s due to the influence of advertising campaigns by the Dole company, which was a significant producer of canned pineapple at the time.
Dole created and distributed millions of recipe booklets and pamphlets featuring pineapple upside-down cake as one of its signature dishes. As a result, the cake became a symbol of post-war prosperity and a staple dessert in many American households.
A little history:
During the 1950s, the United States experienced unprecedented economic growth and prosperity following World War II. As a result, many Americans had more disposable income and could purchase luxury items, such as canned pineapple, that had been unavailable or unaffordable during the war.
The Dole company recognized this trend and launched an aggressive marketing campaign to promote its products, including canned pineapple.
As part of this campaign, Dole hired a team of home economists to develop recipes that featured canned pineapple as a key ingredient. One of these recipes was an upside-down pineapple cake, which quickly became a famous and iconic dessert.
Dole distributed recipe booklets and pamphlets featuring the cake and even enlisted celebrities like Bing Crosby to endorse the product.
The popularity of the pineapple upside-down cake reflected the optimism and affluence of the post-war era and the growing influence of advertising and consumer culture.
And the pineapple upside-down cake remains a beloved classic testament to the power of marketing and nostalgia. There is even an annual national day on March 16.
