Serves     8-10

Ingredients

Fruit topping 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (light is OK)
4-6 fresh pineapple rings, sliced about 1/4” thick – or canned pineapple if you prefer
cherries for garnish

Cake
1 cup milk
1/2 cup coarse-ground cornmeal (not fine or instant)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 whole eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a microwave-safe dish, bring the milk to a boil. Remove the milk from the microwave and add the cornmeal. Stir and let soak at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted turn off the heat, add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. (If you don’t have a cast iron skillet a regular 10” round cake pan will work as well.) Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully place the pineapple rings over your sugar. Place cherries in middle of rings.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the canola oil and whisk. By now the cornmeal will have turned into a semi-solid mass. Scoop the whole blob into the eggs and whisk vigorously to break up the lumps. Add flour and stir just until combined.

Pour batter over fruit in the skillet and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden on the top and a cake tester comes out clean. (Be sure to place your pan on a cookie sheet to catch drips just in case your pan overflows.) Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes in the skillet. Set a platter on top of the skillet and carefully invert the cake.

Country:
Rwanda


Notes and Instructions