Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with Muscovado Sugar and Lemon Syrup

From waitrose.com

Ingredients

• ½ x fresh Fairtrade pineapple
• 225g light brown muscovado sugar
• 3 natural colour glacé cherries, halved
• 150g lightly salted butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons, plus 3 tbsp juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease the base of a 23cm round, solid-based cake tin and line with baking parchment. Cut away the skin from the pineapple and slice the flesh into thin rings. Remove the cores, using a sharp knife.
2. In a large, heavy-based frying pan, heat 75g of the sugar with 4 tablespoons of cold water until the sugar dissolves. Add the pineapple and cook gently for 5-6 minutes, turning once, until it has softened slightly. Remove, using a slotted spoon, and reserve the syrup. Arrange the pineapple in a single layer in the tin, cutting sections from the remaining rings to fill any gaps. Place a cherry half, cut-side down, in each ring. Chop any remaining pineapple into small pieces.
3. Using an electric hand whisk, beat together the butter, remaining sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and lemon zest for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chopped pineapple. Turn into the tin and level the surface.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the surface is just firm to the touch. Loosen the edges and turn out onto a plate, removing the baking parchment. Stir the lemon juice into the reserved syrup in the pan and spoon a little over the cake. Place the remaining syrup in a jug and serve with slices of the cake.

Comments:

A bit pretentious but very tasty!