Old Fashioned Upside-Down Cake

A traditional pineapple upside-down cake cooked in a cast-iron skillet. I guess you could use a regular cake pan as well. I found in an article on "skillet" recipes years ago--sounded strange, but it is very good.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2⁄3 cup butter
• 2⁄3 cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 (16 ounce) can  sliced pineapple
• 8  maraschino cherries
• 1 1⁄2 cups  sifted cake flour
• 1 3⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2  eggs, separated
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1  teaspoon lemon, zest of, freshly grated
• 1  teaspoon lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Melt 1/3 cup of the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet; stir in brown sugar until well blended.
2. Drain pineapple, reserving 2 tablespoons of the syrup.
3. Arrange pineapple slices close together in butter-sugar mixture.
4. Center each slice with a cherry.
5. Sift flour, baking powder and salt onto waxed paper.
6. Beat egg whites until foamy in medium bowl.
7. Beat in 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar a tablespoon at a time until meringue stands in soft peaks.
8. With same beater, beat remaining 1/3 cup butter with remaining 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy.
9. Beat in egg yolks, lemon rind, lemon juice and vanilla.
10. Blend flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with sour cream and the 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple syrup.
11. Fold meringue until no streaks of white remain.
12. Pour over pineapple in skillet.
13. Bake in a 350° oven for 35 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched with fingertip.
14. Cool cake in skillet on wire rack for 10 minutes; then invert over serving plate.
15. Allow skillet to remain over a cake a minute for syrup to drain from pan.
16. Serve warm or cold.