Tasty Morsels: This cake is an oldie but a goodie

The advent of canned pineapple in the early 1900s paved the way for pineapple upside-down cake. But American settlers, and Europeans before that, made a similar kind of dessert, cooked on top of the stove in a skillet, using fruits such as apples and pears. The pineapple upside-down cake we think of today gained widespread popularity when, in 1925, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (later renamed "Dole") ran an ad in several women's magazines seeking creative and original recipes using pineapple. Allegedly, the company received 2,500 responses to the contest.This recipe has a way of surfacing from my recipe file every five years or so, and I get back on a pineapple upside-down cake kick. This particular recipe has no attribution, which usually means it came from my grandmother. I made it last weekend, and it was devoured in just one night. It's kind of funny how the oldies, but goodies have such great staying power!Pineapple Upside-Down CakeCake1/3 cup butter2/3 cup sugar1½ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder1/3 teaspoon salt2/3 cup (combination of water and pineapple juice from sliced pineapples) 2 eggs, separated 1 teaspoon vanilla extractn Pineapple–Brown Sugar Topping4 tablespoons butter1 cup brown sugar1 large can pineapple slices/rings, packed in juice, drained — reserve juiceOptional: pecan halves, or maraschino cherries (I don't really like the latter, so I usually omit them.)DirectionsIn a medium bowl, beat egg whites with electric beater until stiff peaks form. In a separate, small bowl, mix yolks with a fork or wire whisk. Set both egg parts to the side. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Add beaten egg yolks and mix well. Sift dries and add to creamed mixture alternately with juice/water starting and ending with dries. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites and vanilla. For topping, melt butter in microwave. Mix in 1 cup brown sugar. Pat this mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased- 9x9 inch baking dish with 2-inch high sides* and press pineapple rings (and optional ingredients such as pecans or cherries) into sugar-mixture. Pour batter over pineapples and bake in 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until batter is set in the center — not too "jiggly." Remove from oven and cool for about 10-15 minutes. Then invert onto a large plate. Serve with vanilla yogurt, ice cream or whipped cream.(If using a glass baking dish, reduce temperature to 325 degrees and increase baking time by about 5 minutes.) Susie can be reached at suziven@gmail.com.