Upside Down Cakes

All of our upside-down cakes are best served as puddings with accompanying cream or ice cream. They all use a similar method of base-lining the cooking tin with fruit and a sweet buttery glaze but the toppings – or maybe we should say bottoms! - all vary slightly.

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

For a truly retro pudding, try pineapple upside-down cake, complete with glace cherries!

• 25g (1oz) butter
• 50g (2oz) Demerara sugar
• 4 pineapple rings (from tin in syrup)
• 4 – 6 glace cherries
• 50g (2oz) soft margarine
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 60g (2½ oz) self-raising flour
• 10g (½ oz) semolina
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 150ml (5fl oz) syrup from the tin of pineapple (made up with water if there’s not enough)

Preheat the oven to 190°C, gas mark 5.

Use the butter to grease a 7” tin. Make the coating especially thick on the bottom. Sprinkle the Demerara sugar over evenly. Arrange the pineapple and cherries on the base of the tin.

Put the margarine, caster sugar, egg, flour and semolina in a bowl and mix well until smooth. Add the milk a little at a time until you have a dropping consistency. Carefully spoon it into the tin and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until firm.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile put the cornflour and syrup into a small saucepan and heat gently until bubbling and clear. Turn the cake out onto a serving dish and spoon over some of the glaze. Serve the cake with a dollop of cream and the remaining glaze as an optional extra sauce.

Apple Dowdy

This is a simple version of a pudding that originates in New England and usually contains molasses.

• 110g (4oz) self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced.
• 1 – 2 tablespoons Demerara sugar
• 1 – 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• nutmeg
• cinnamon
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 55ml (2floz) milk
• 50g (2oz) margarine
• extra sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease a 1½ pint pie dish. Sieve together the flour and salt.

Mix the apples with the Demerara sugar, syrup and a generous pinch of both nutmeg and cinnamon. Place them in the pie dish, cover and bake for about 15 minutes or until the apples are nearly soft.

Meanwhile place the sifted flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Add the egg, milk and margarine and beat until you have a smooth batter. Carefully spoon over the apples and sprinkle with a little extra sugar. Bake for about 30 minutes or until firm and golden.

Turn the pudding out onto a serving dish. It’s best served hot with vanilla ice cream.

Apricot Upside-down Pudding

This is a lovely warming pudding with a just a hint of ginger.

• 4 tablespoons long grain rice
• 275ml (10fl oz) milk
• 2 eggs
• 75g (3oz) self-raising flour
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 150g (5oz) butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 75g (3oz) Demerara sugar
• 1 can apricot halves
• 110g (4oz) soft brown sugar

Place the rice and milk in a saucepan and simmer for about 25 minutes until the rice has absorbed the milk and is tender. Allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease and base-line a 7” square tin. Separate the eggs. Sieve together the flour and ginger.

In the microwave or in a small saucepan melt together 1 oz butter, the syrup and the Demerara sugar. Pour into the prepared tin and arrange the drained apricot halves on top.

Beat the remaining butter until soft and then gradually mix in the soft brown sugar, the egg yolks and the cooled rice. Fold in the sifted flour.

Whish the egg whites until stiff and forming peaks and then fold into the mixture. Carefully spoon on top over the apricots and bake for about 50 minutes or until done.

Turn out onto a serving dish and serve warm with cold pouring cream.