This pineapple rum upside down cake is inspired by the “Bottoms Up” Pineapple Tequila Cake in the Boozy Baker cookbook. The cake is wonderfully moist and not too sweet, with the alcohol helping to bring out the flavor of the pineapple.
Mojitos are one of my favorite cocktails and I love the way that mint and lime pair with pineapple so I decided to put a mojito spin on a classic upside down cake. Instead of tequila, my version of the cake uses dark rum and includes a mint-infused caramel and some fresh lime zest. I also take a little extra time to caramelize and cook the pineapple before adding the cake batter, yielding a richer pineapple flavor.
If you find yourself dreaming for a summer vacation, look no further. The flavors of this cake bring summer beach vacation vibes for you to access anytime, anywhere (as long as you have a kitchen). When the going gets tough or you’re just in the mood for a little something special, treat yourself to a slice of comfort and pure joy. This cake can easily be made alcohol free, as the mint, lime, and pineapple add plenty of flavor.
Pineapple Mojito Upside Down Cake
Cuisine: DessertDifficulty: Baking session1
cake35
minutes45
minutesThis pineapple rum upside down cake contains subtle hints of mint and lime, modeled after the classic flavors of a mojito. The cake is not too sweet and is wonderfully light and fluffy. I highly recommend using fresh pineapple for this cake instead of canned.
Ingredients
- For the topping
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup (130g) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup packed mint leaves
2 Tbsp. dark rum
1/2 small pineapple, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
- For the cake
1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (148g) granulated sugar
1 tsp lime zest
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tbsp dark rum
3/4 cup (180g), well-shaken buttermilk, ideally room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Add butter to either a 9-inch cast iron skillet or metal cake pan and heat over the stove top on low heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the mint leaves, brown sugar, and rum.
- Cook, stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture is smooth and has thickened some. While stirring, press down on the mint occasionally to help release its oils. Remove the pan from the heat and using a slotted spoon or a fork, fish out the pieces of mint and discard them.
- Arrange the pineapple slices on the pan, packing them in tightly. Return the pan to medium heat and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the pineapple slices have begun to turn very slightly translucent and the syrup has begun to thicken and reduce and the pineapple pieces are slightly gripping the bottom of the pan. The syrup should bubble over the pineapple while it’s cooking. The pineapple may shrink a bit so feel free to add in another couple of slices to fill any large gaps and if you have a particularly juicy pineapple, don’t worry if you still have quite a bit of syrup at the end of this stage. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter until lightened in color and the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Quickly beat in rum and lime zest.
- Add in the flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, making sure that you begin and end with flour. Beat until just incorporated–if worried about overmixing, you can mix this portion by hand with a wooden spoon.
- Pour cake batter over the pineapple mixture and smooth out the surface. Place the skillet or cake pan on a sheet pan/cookie sheet to catch any drips and place it in the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and then flip the cake.
Notes
- If you’d like to make this alcohol-free, just leave the rum out of the topping and for the cake batter, substitute the rum with an equal amount of buttercream.
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