Sweet Mary

Strawberry Shortcakes

Last weekend, I also made some Strawberry Shortcakes with my fresh picked berries.  And, I will confess that after all that jam making, strawberry hulling, and shortcake baking, I didn't feel much like cooking dinner. So, dessert served as my dinner.  I rarely (if ever) do that, as I like to eat healthy and get my veggies in, you know.  But, what a lovely guilty pleasure it was!

The shortcake recipe is from Martha Stewart, although this isn't the recipe I normally use.  I couldn't find my standard shortcake recipe, so went with this one last minute.  I liked this recipe; however, not as much as others I have tried.  The thing to remember with shortcakes (which are essentially buttery biscuits) is to not over mix or over work the dough or they won't rise up all nice and pretty.  I felt like I didn't get enough height with this recipe despite the fact that I barely handled them at all.   They still tasted very delicious with all the berries and whipped cream, though.  I added some Tahitian vanilla and lime juice to my berries for a different taste this year.  This really worked well.

Berry Mixture

To serve four:

6 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

1/2 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Store in fridge for about an hour before serving.  

Shortcakes

Makes four large shortcakes or 6-7 smaller cakes.

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus three tablespoons

1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Heat oven to 375 F.  In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, flour, and baking powder.  Ct in butter usiing a fork until the mix resembles course meal. 

Whisk together egg and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream.  Slowly add dry mixture.  Mix with a fork just until the dough comes together.  Do not overmix.  Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6-inch square that is 1-inch thick.  Cut four rounds using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  

Whisk together the yolk and 1 tablespoon cream.  Brush onto the tops of the shortcakes.  Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.  Cool on wire racks for about 15 minutes.

Then, make some whipped cream.  I didn't add any sugar or anything to my cream.  I just whipped up a bit by hand.  To assemble the shortcakes, slice one in half while warm.  Add berries and liquid to bottom half of shortcake.  Then, add the top of the shortcake and add large dollups of whipped cream.

Dad's Favorite Italian Cake

This cake doesn't look like much; however, it is extremely flavorful and rich. I was going to post a long story about this cake; however, all you really have to know is that it was a special request that my father made on his birthday many years ago during a time when both he and my Mom were at home together. Now, my Dad had taken early retirement from IBM right before all the big layoffs in the early 90's. But, my Mom, on the other hand, was at home because she unexpectedly lost her (supposedly secure) job. Ah, the early 90's were tough for a lot of people.

Anyway, during that period, my Mom had a hard time just chilling out and enjoying the free time. This was quite the opposite of my father, who loved having all the time in the world to pursue his interests. My Mom will agree that she might have been driving my Dad a little nuts. And, I do recall getting a crocheted blanket in the mail, as well as loaves of bread and other assorted items. She had to keep busy. So, with all that time, she wanted to make him something special for his birthday.

My father, at the time, was very much into Italian cuisine and, thus, for his birthday, chose this Italian cheesecake. I believe the recipe is from an old Sunset magazine or cook book. My Mom just calls it "Dad's Favorite Italian Cake." It was a big hit with everyone and, really, no one has made it for maybe a decade or so.

Now, I have to say, I had never tasted this cake because back when all of this was happening, I lived in California. I wouldn't have eaten or tasted it anyway because I was a vegan back then. This Easter, my Mom asked us to make it because the cake reminds her of good times with my Dad before he passed away. And, after tasting it, it was a wise choice to bring this cake back to the table for more than nostalgic reasons. It is a sweet cheesecake made with Ricotta, pine nut brittle, chocolate chips, and a really nice top and bottom almond crumb crust. And, a bit of rum kind of rounds it all out. It's a bit on the heavy side, but absolutely delicious and easy to see why my father loved it so much. I will definitely make it again.

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
3 and 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons light rum
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocoate chips
Almond Crumb mixture
Powdered Sugar

Place the 1/3 cup sugar in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook till sugar becomes liquid and turns gold. Make sure heat is even under the pan. Make sure sugar isn't sticking to sides of pan. Try to keep sugar even in pan. Stir in pine nuts and then immediately turn out into a buttered shallow pan. With a buttered spoon, press mixture to flatten it out a bit. Let it cool. Break it into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a bowl, mix ricotta, rum, and 3/4 cup of sugar till blended. Stir in chocolate and pine nut brittle. Set aside.

Prepare Almond Crumb Mixture and spoon half into a buttered 10-inch spring form pan. Pile it slightly higher around the edges. Do not press too firmly. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the center and then spoon the remaining crust mixture over the ricotta all the way to the sides. Gently pat down to form an almost flat top.

Bake in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool thoroughly. You can put this in the fridge if you are making it ahead. Before you serve it, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Almond Crumb Mixture

2/3 cup blanched almonds
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
7/8 cup cold butter (1/2 pound minus two tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Toast blanched almonds in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes. Let them cool. Grind them finely in a blender or food processor. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and ground almonds. Cut in the butter till fine crumbs form (you can also use a mixer). Beat together the egg and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and toss with a fork until evenly moistened. The mix should be crumbly. Don't over mix.

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Grand Marnier Sauce

I love this cake. I've made it several times before as part of a Deconstructed Black Forest Cake that you can find on the Epicurious website (click here for to view recipe). It is moist, rich, and full of chocolate flavor. It is also a great cake to make in a sheet pan and cut into whatever shapes you like.

So, I made one for a birthday at work and decided to make a drizzle sauce. My Mom recently gave me a bottle of Grand Marnier and I decided to make a raspbery sauce with it. It was a fantastic match for this chocolate cake and was a bit hit. At work, I also sprinkled chocolate shavings over the cake/plate and threw a dollup of whipped cream on top. It was very nice.

Cake Recipe

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 14x10x1-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line this with parchment. Butter the parchment. Using a mixer, beat butter till smooth. Add sugar and eggs. Beat till light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in next 4 ingredients. Beat in flour alternately with the sour cream in 2 additions each. Gradually add hot coffee. Mix till smooth. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, about 20-25 minutes. Cook on rack. Cover and chill until cold. Then, use cookie cutters to cut into the shapes you want.

Sauce
1 package frozen raspberries (or fresh)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup Grand Marnier

Put all ingredients into a saucepan. Heat on medium high for a few minutes. Stir. Lower heat and simmer for about 6 minutes. Raspberries will start to break down. Take off heat. Drain liquid from fruit. Mash up fruit to get more liquid. Return liquid to pan and put over medium high heat. Reduce for about 6-8 minutes. You want it to thicken a bit. However, it will thicken more once cool, so don't over do it.

Spiced Apple Cake

Right now I have an Apple Spice Cake in the oven. I made the cake so I can give a few slices to my first floor neighbor as a thank you. You see, not only did she give me a loaf of Portuguese sweet bread before Christmas, she also saved me a plate of pork and sausage that she made for her family. It was truly delicious. She is a real doll and reminds me of my own grandmother.

Her family has lived in and owned this triple decker house (i.e. there's an apartment on each floor) forever. She has never lived anywhere else. That's always mind blowing for me, since I roam around so much. So, when I went down to bring her some Christmas cookies right before Christmas, she took me hand and invited me in. Saying "no" was not an option, I guess. She told me all about the brine for the pork she was making, gave me a tour of her home, and showed me photos of her extended family. When I returned from my Mom's after the holiday, she called me up on my cell phone and asked me to come on down because she had a plate of meat for me. Yep, I swear she is the Portuguese version of my Italian grandmother.

This is another quick and easy recipe (from Williams and Sonoma's Desserts: New Healthy Kitchen, p. 41) that's great with tea or coffee. You can't go wrong. Don't be alarmed when you mix the batter because it will seem very thick and like there isn't enough around the apple slices to actually bake up into a cake. That's not the case at all. The batter will spread while it is baking and fill all the crevices. I used a 9-inch pan and, although a bit lower, came out just fine.

3 green apples
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tbspns granulated sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. Whisk granulated sugar, egg, and butter together in a big bowl. Stir in two-thirds of sliced apples. Sift flour, baking soda, and all spices together. Add to egg mixture along with raisins. Stir until just blended. Pour into buttered cake pan. Smooth top. Arrange the rest of the apple slices concentrically on top. Press them gently into the batter. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar. Bake about 50 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then, run a small knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cake out onto the rack. I always flip it again so the top of the cake doesn't end up having marks from the wire rack on it. Let cool completely for about two hours.

Chocolate Cupcakes

When it comes to desserts, although I will taste anything put in front of me, I am actually quite picky. Yes, I love to taste. But, eating is another story. You have to remember, I am lactose intolerant. So, you just won't find me eating big mounds of chocolate mousse or ice cream (even though I may really want to!). On top of that, I easily feel sick if I eat too much of something rich or sweet. Call it a curse; however, I call it a blessing. I rarely eat too much of anything and, moreover, it keeps all the calories and fat in check which makes for a healthier Sweet Mary.

So, I am not really picky by choice. I am picky by necessity. And, that's fine by me. What I love to eat most of all for dessert are fruit pies and cookies. To me, there's nothing better. And, every once in a while, if it's made correctly, I like a little cake. Nothing fancy. Just a plain old cake. So, for New Year's Eve this year, I had a few friends over for a movie after we went out for Thai food in Providence. And, for dessert, I made Chocolate Cupcakes with a very "easy white icing." The recipe can be found on the Martha Stewart website. I have made this recipe before. It is quick and super chocolate-y. I always like my chocolate cake with a little sour cream mixed into the batter for some added moisture and a nice little tang. I had a friend visiting from Baltimore and I made her frost and decorate cupcakes with me before dinner. You see, this is what you get at my place when you come for a visit...put to work. I think she had fun, though.

Chocolate Orbit Cake

I am just going to throw this one from Room for Dessert (David Lebovitz) up here so I am all caught up, can move on, and bake more. I made this for my last book/food club meeting about two weeks ago. For chocolate lovers, there is nothing better than this kind of cake. No flour. High grade chocolate. Rich and dense. I could only take a few bites. I also made some raspberry "sauce" to go on top which gave it a nice little extra something.

Again, let me make excuses about the photo! I was under another fluorescent light in a different environment. Now, if I could find the manual to my digital camera, I could stop complaining about this, as I am sure there is a setting. Perhaps, that should be my homework this week. The cake in the photo in the book looks lunar, with little bubbles and craters in in. I only achieved that effect on half the cake. I think some of the foil was touching the cake batter as it began to bake and, thus, stuck a bit. When you wrap the cake with foil and put it in the water bath, make sure this doesn't happen and leave some space. The author also suggests pairing the cake with creme anglaise, which I am sure would be fantastic.

Anyway, Room for Dessert is a great book and I encourage you to add it to your shelf of cook books. It has a great variety of recipes, great photos, comments from the author, and some really interesting flavors. You can also visit his website (in my list to the left).

1/2 pound butter
12 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
Optional: Creme Anglaise or Raspberry "Sauce"

Preheat oven to 350 and make sure your oven rack is in the center. Butter a 9x2 round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set up a double boiler by placing a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Cut butter and chocolate into small pieces. Place in bowl. Melt over pan and be sure to stir it occasionally. Whisk together eggs and sugar in another bowl. Then, whisk in the melted chocolate. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Place it in a larger pan. Pour in warm water halfway up the cake pan to create a water bath. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until the cake sets. If you touch it in the middle, your finger should be clean. Remove the cake from the water bath. Cool completely. You can flip it out onto a serving plate. Drizzle your sauce.

*For the raspberry sauce, all I did was mash about 1 1/2 cups of raspberries and then push half of that mix through a small strainer to remove the seeds. I added roughly 2-3 tablespoons of sugar (I didn't measure, so just wing this) and a little lime juice (of course, you can use lemon). Mix it all together a bit and there you have it.

Grilled Pound Cake & Pineapple with Orange-Lime-Cardamom Glaze

I'm assuming everyone has already gotten their grills out and is routinely throwing down slabs of marinated meats and veggies.  But, are you grillin' your desserts? 

If not, I'm tellin' you that you should.  You absolutely should.  You can grill fruits.  You can grill cakes.  You can combine them.  You can put some nice homemade (or, even store bought!) ice cream on top.  Trust me.  You will love it.

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a few weeks; however, each time I go to make it on the grill outside,. the temperature drops and there's a torrential downpour.  The first time I made it, I did it on an indoor grill pan and it was just fine.  The second time, which was just over the past weekend, I fired up the quickie coals on my Weber and threw it all down over very hot coals.  It got the job done quickly, but medium coals are better because you won't risk burning anything!

So, the first thing you need to do is make a pound cake (see recipe below).  Any kind of pound cake your heart desires.  I made a good old fashioned buttery pound cake that also has sour cream for moistness and a little zing.  You can get the glaze all ready about 4-5 hours before making the final dessert.  Just be sure to whisk it before glazing.  And, if you make your own ice cream, that obviously will need to be done ahead of time.

Throw those slices of pound cake on the grill over medium heat.  I actually brushed both sides with a little bit of alcohol flavored simple syrup.  The first time I tried tequila and the second time, rum.  Both worked, although I definitely liked the rum better.  Make sure your cake slices have those nice grill marks on them.  You can throw your pineapple slices on at the same time.  Brush them generously with the glaze while grilling.  Both the cake and fruit will grill up in no time. 2-3 minutes on each side, tops.

And, that's it.  Throw those puppies on a plate.  Top with ice cream.  Drizzle some of the leftover glaze on top.  And, there you have it.  A really simple tasty dessert that is sure to please fans grilled food.

Sour Cream Pound Cake (from Will Barber on  All Recipes )

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 pinch baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan.  Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.  Add sour cream and eggs.  Add flour and baking soda.  Mix well.  Pour into pan.  Bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Orange Lime Cardamom Glaze  (adapted from Epicurious )

1/3 to 1/2 cup molasses (I used normal molasses.....you can use light, though, too)

4-5 tablespoons of butter

10 whole cardamom pods, cracked

3 teaspoons fresh lime juice

3 teaspoons fresh orange juice

Bring molasses, butter, and cardamom to a boil in a pot over high heat.  Stir it and melt butter.  Reduce heat to low and simmer till it thickens a bit (4-5 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in the juices.

Ginger Angel Food Cakes

Thought I'd whip up something light and airy today.  In general, I am not a huge fan of angel food cakes. But, I've never had a flavored angel food cake before.  Consequently, I wanted to try these mini ginger angel food cakes drizzled with sweet glaze.

Let me just mention that, honestly, almost every time I bake in my kitchen and want to take photos, the sun disappears.  This creates a serious lack of light in my kitchen.  And, the flash on my camera makes images appear stark.  To top it off, the lighting in my kitchen is just awful.  I have an exposed overhead florescent light that makes everything look dingy.   I am not sure what I am going to do about this...because I'm just not happy with the photos.  Suggestions are most welcomed.

This is a recipe from another Williams and Sonoma book (simply titled Desserts) I found recently in my travels.  I was attracted to this book for several reasons.  First, the premise is lighter desserts stemming from a healthier kitchen.  Second, the recipes are organized into chapters by color.  You can go to the Green chapter, the Brown chapter, or if you're feeling it, the Yellow and Orange chapter.  Within each colored chapter, you'll discover the health benefits of each fruit, food, or spice listed,  And, there are lists of what you can find in that color each season.  I really love those lists because they make it very simple to colorize your desserts based on what's fresh and/or ripe (in case you didn't already know).  There are some really lovely images in this book, too.

Angel Food Cake is a really quick dessert to make. So, keep it in mind, if you're ever in a pinch.  This cake has fresh ginger and lemon zest in the batter.  The glaze contains crystallized ginger and lemon juice.  Truly a nice combination.  I will advise that you spray the muffin pans down with a low-fat cooking spray, grease them with butter, or find real non-stick muffin cups.  If you don't, your little cakes will stick to the pan or to the paper muffin cups.  Not sure why, but I used normal old muffin cups and I essentially couldn't get those cakes out without ripping them up terribly.  The one in the photo was salvaged, but the back of it was rather torn!  And, as for crystallized ginger, you can usually find it in health food stores or high end supermarkets.  There is a company, The Ginger People, that make all sorts of things with ginger.  Their brand is fine.

And, just a little advice about whipping egg whites.  Make sure you bowl is super clean so your egg whites whip up all nice and pretty.  You can clean it with a little white vinegar, which will just evaporate. Also, make sure when you separate the the whites from the yolks, that there are no yolks in the whites.  This could prevent your whites from whipping up. 

1/2 cup cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup superfine (caster) sugar (if you can't find this, put your granulated sugar into a coffee grinder or food processor and give it a few spins)

6 large egg whites

3/4 tsp cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp vanilla

grated zest of 1/2 lemon (I did a whole lemon)

Ginger Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp minced crystallized ginger

1 tbsp water

Crank your oven up to 350 F.  Sift flour, baking powder, and 1/2 cup of sugar three times. 

In a large clean bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks are formed.  Add ginger lemon zest, and vanilla.   Then, gradually beat in the 1/4 cup sugar that you didn't use when sifting.   Beat till dissolved.  Then, use a spatula (or your hand, that's what we do at school) to fold in the dry ingredients till evenly blended.  Don't mix.  Put half the dry stuff in.  Fold over till it blends in.  Add the other half and do the same.  Then, stop.   This batter should be really light and fluffy.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups/muffin pan.  Bake until cakes are springy when you touch them, 25 minutes or so.

To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar in a bowl with lemon juice.  Stir.  Then, add minced ginger and water.  Stir so it's runny and can be drizzled over cakes.

Remove baked cakes from oven.  Flip out onto a wire rack.  Cool completely.  Spoon icing over them before serving on the plate or on a rack. 

 

Black Forest Cake

Typically, a Black Forest is a layered chocolate cake with cherries, whipped cream, and Kirsch (i.e. cherry brandy).  The cake originated in the Black Forest region of Germany that is known for its sour cherries and Kirschwasser.

I have to say that Black Forest Cake is not my favorite.  However, I do really like the flavors separately.  Just think.  Rich dark chocolate cake.  Sour cherries.  Chocolate cream.  That's why I made this Deconstructed Black Forest Cake  from Epicurious two years ago for a group of 7 smart fun dessert-loving single female friends of mine for Valentine's Day.  This just means that the parts of the cake were served separately and singularly.  In parts.  On a plate.  Looking all pretty.

So, imagine the scene.  Mary's cozy and colorful row house in Baltimore.  Good tunes (of course).  The girls were drinking some wine, chatting, laughing.  I was the kitchen plating up a dessert I had never made before and really had no idea how it would turn out.  I set the table as the laughs and voices got louder (and louder....a bunch of women together drinking can get pretty loud).  As soon as everyone sat down to the table, we did a toast with the shot of Kirsch and started tasting....and, well, it was silent.  Dead silent.

This dessert was decadent.  Worth your full attention because you didn't want to miss one nuance of any one bite or sip.  The flavors separately could certainly stand alone.  Dark moist sour cream chocolate cake (with a shot of coffee in it).   Smooth rich chocolate custard.  And, those cherries reduced in red wine.  Yuuuummm.  What I loved most was the concept of choice.  I didn't have to have one big creamy bite.  I could mix and match my components and flavors.  It made me stop and really ponder what I was tasting. 

And, my friends.  Well, I think their silence told me they felt the same way.

So, when my new job announced an all company bake off, I knew this was the dessert to make.  There's a $100 gift certificate to Williams and Sonoma and, of course, bragging rights at stake.  The competition will last until the end of April because all 14 of us are participating with one baker bringing in something every Monday.  I was second in the line of bakers and let me tell you, I went all out.

Since I don't have any pictures from my soiree two years ago, here is my bake off photo.  My only criticism stems from the waxy plates.  Rather than give everyone a shot of cherry brandy at 3:00 on a Monday afternoon, I made a simple syrup (sugar/water) with the cherry brandy and drizzled it on the plate.  The wax on the plate created pools of the syrup rather than drizzles.  I also thought my mint was too large, but whatever.

But, all in all, it went over well.  I had to ask my boss to call a special meeting so I everyone could sit down to their paper-plated dessert in the meeting room.  I saw this bake off as a great opportunity to practice baking cake, custards, fruit compote/reduction and to handle the logistics of transporting all my goods and plating everything up.  It was very fun for me.

I will have to let you know in April if I win.  I have at least two people who are going to give me a run for my money.  I got dinged (jokingly) in the judging because I didn't have any mood music or lighting!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Here is my (first) homage to Amy Sedaris.  You can read my comments about her book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence here.  So, my book/food club decided to read this book and also to make something from the book for this month's meeting.  Unfortunately, the meeting was canceled the other night; however, we've rescheduled for next week.  Before I knew about the cancellation, my Pineapple Upside Down Cake was baked and ready to go.

I will say this.  The cake batter was rather interesting.  The final product was also interesting.  And, the taste, well, it was pretty interesting.  Not terrible.  No, not at all.  In fact, by the third bite, I think I started to really like it.  But, if you grew up in the 1970s, you may have some flashbacks to recipes your Mom might have made.  The cake seemed to have that yellowish-orange glow that everything had in the 70s. 

Yes, I know.  What's happened to me?  In school, I make all kinds of fancy and traditional pastry products.  Here on this site, I'm using an Easy Bake oven and making strange cakes from a book I'm not even really sure is supposed to be a cook book.  Let's just call it, well-rounded.  And, hey, I'm no baking snob.  In fact, I'll try another recipe for this week's meeting.  What will I make?  The Grape Root Beer Float?  The Lumberjack's Vanishing Oatmeal cookies?  Cousin Kathy's Cheesecake?  Or, maybe the Bob Evan's Bourbon Apple Pie?

So, here's the recipe straight from the book (page 227) with a few of my own comments thrown in.

12 tablespoons butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup pineapple juice

5 whole pineapple rings (or more)

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400.  Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of an 8 or 9-inch cake pan.  Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves.  Take off the burner.  Add the pineapple juice.  Arrange the 5 pineapple rings in one layer in the pan.  Set aside.  Melt the rest of the butter.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the egg and milk.  Beat well.  Add the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Add the milk mixture and beat until smooth.  Pour over the pineapple slices and bake for about 35 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 10-20 minutes.  Flip out onto a plate pineapple side up.  Put some cherries in the pineapple rings.  Serve with whipped cream.