Nothing brings cultures together quite like food. To celebrate the black men and women who are using food and flavors to connect cultures and communities, we’re sharing some of our favorite recipes from professional chefs, at-home cooks and foodies who know that great flavors can bring us all together. Today California-based baker Lasondra Wilson (@yumyellowcake) shares one of her dessert recipes for pineapple upside down cake that will soon be one of your favorites.

 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

 

For the Cake:

 

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups sifted flour
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup milk
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
I box vanilla pudding mix

 

For the topping:

 

1 cup chopped pineapple
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

 

Garnish:

Optional cherries, fresh or maraschino

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

1). Preheat your oven to 35O degrees.

 

2). Sift your flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

 

3). In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla.

 

4). In another bowl cream together butter, then add sugar and cream together. Add egg
yolks, two at a time, to the creamed mixture and beat after each addition. Add the entire

package of pudding mix and combine. to the mixture add the flour mixture alternately
with the milk mixture until just combined. Do not overbeat.

 

5). Spray the bottom of a standard size (12 cups) bundt pan. Don’t worry about spraying up the sides of the pan just yet. Place stick of butter for the topping into the pan. Melt butter in the bundt pan by placing the pan in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. The butter should be just melted. Take out the pan and add the brown sugar on top of the melted butter. Make sure the sugar is evenly distributed around the bottom of the bundt pan. Next, add the pineapple, again evenly distributing the pineapple on top of the brown sugar.

 

Spray the bundt pan very well with nonstick spray (including the center of the bund
pan). Now add your cake batter on top of the butter brown sugar topping and spread out
evenly. Place in the oven to bake for 45- 50 minutes, sticking a toothpick in to test for
donees. Make sure the toothpick comes out clean.

 

6). Place cake on cooling rack for five minutes. While the cake is still warm, run a butter
knife between the cake and the pan. This will help to loosen the cake from the pan, and
ensure that your topping does not caramelize in the pan. Place a cake board or plate on
top of the cake and flip it over. Sometimes it takes a while for the cake to “fall out”. My
mom would even tap the top a few times. Once your cake comes out, garnish with
cherries and allow to cool. Or enjoy a piece while the cake is still warm and the brown
sugar melts into the cake.