Monday 14 September 2015

VeganMoFo 2015 #14: Lisa's birthday cake



14. Share something vegan (and delicious, duh!) with a non-vegan.

My friend and co-worker Lisa has somehow lucked out and has become the one work person that I make a birthday cake for every year and take it to work to share. Lisa is a vegetarian, and the everyone else is an omni. In previous years the theme has normally been berries, however this year Lisa was keen to branch out after she heard me mention pineapple upside-down cakes. I really like pineapple upside-down cakes, they are fun! I've made a few in the past, so for this year I settled on a recipe I hadn't tried before (which is always my way), the one from American Vegan Kitchen.

Of course the most important part of a pineapple upside down cake is the syrup and pineapple layer! In this recipe, the holes in the pineapple are stuffed with dried cherries. Then of course you top it with the batter, bake it, and turn it out to reveal a beautifully glazed cake.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake


When I turned it upside down, the pineapple had migrated to the outer edges leaving the middle of the cake without pineapple. Also,the glaze in the middle stuck to the pan, leaving the top of the cake looking super nekkid! I was able to scoop up the glaze from the pan and patch it back onto the cake, and decorate the middle with my super cook cake decorations that I have had since I was a kid. The recipe calls for four rings of pineapple (which was conveniently how much was in a small tin of rings), but if I made it again I would put a fifth ring in the middle.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake


All packed up and ready to go to work the next day!

Pineapple Upside-Down Coke


The all important cutting of the cake! Supervised by a watchful Evie.

Cutting of the cake


I was a little worried about the cake, because it seemed to have a lot of baking powder in it. It also seemed a little dry on cutting, though it had been stored in the fridge and I did have to bake it an extra 10 minutes to set it properly. However it all tasted good! And the important thing is that Lisa really liked it, I got a message from her saying she wanted to keep eating it all! So success!

Recipe rating: :)

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post: Month of Gizmo

Gizmo's 13th Birthday


On her 13th birthday. <3

13 comments:

  1. that's always such a pleasing cake. I've had the same thing happen too with the migrating pineapple-- next time I'll have to squish everything in (and buy some cherries).

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    1. Lots of pineapple! It looked so nekkid when I tipped it out.

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  2. I love pineapple upside down cake. My mum used to make it a lot when I was a kid. I shall definitely have to try making a vegan version.
    -

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  3. Hi Susan, would you recommend this book overall? It is one I have my eye on....

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    1. I haven't used it a lot, but the things I have made have been good.

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  4. Oh gosh, I love me some pineapple upside down cake!! I wish you would bake me one for my birthday — Oct 16th. :-)

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    1. Sure thing! Though it might get a little squished on the way over. ;)

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  5. Oh gosh, I love me some pineapple upside down cake!! I wish you would bake me one for my birthday — Oct 16th. :-)

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  6. The mysterious case of the wandering pineapple rings. You saved the day with the decoration in the center! Lisa is a lucky birthday girl! Evie sure seemed to approve.

    Gizmo was doing that kitty thing that I love with the paws tucked in. <3

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  7. What a pretty cake! It turned out so well (despite baking annoyances) =) What a great friend you are.
    I would love that if someone made it for me for my birthday - what a lucky girl.

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