Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1. Stage

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan, stir together the butter and brown sugar.

2. Stage

Drain the pineapple rings from the can, reserving 1/3 cup of the pineapple juice to use for later. Arrange nine pineapple rings in a single layer over the sugar mixture (refrigerate any remaining slices for a different use). Sprinkle the pecans over the pineapple. Set aside.

3. Stage

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Beat in the vanilla and reserved pineapple juice until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter, beating well. Set aside.

4. Stage

In a completely clean small bowl with squeaky-clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. If your tools aren’t perfectly cleaned and dried, the egg whites won’t fluff up! Editor’s Tip: Not sure what stiff peaks look like? Learn the difference between soft peaks and stiff peaks (with helpful images!) so you don’t under-whip your whites.

5. Stage

Fold the stiff egg whites into the batter, ever so gently so you don’t knock out a lot of air.

6. Stage

Spoon the batter over the pineapple mixture in the baking pan.

7. Stage

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake stand for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter.

8. Stage

Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple slice. If desired, serve with whipped topping.