Pineapple Upside Down Panckes

Bloggers--do you have that one post that people keep seeming to find even as it recesses further and further into your archives?  Even as you add new upon new posts? 

I have other posts that have a surge of hits on occasion (like when Bakerella posted my sis's ultra cute Boston Terrier pops--yay Monica!), but there's one post that people keep finding just on searches....Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes.  Sometimes the search criteria even contains the word "Snooze" which is perfect, because that's where the recipe started.  

I did a search recently on the Snooze pancake recipe and was a bit surprised to see how much mine have evolved from the original newspaper article in which Snooze shared their recipe--the origninal recipe didn't call for cooking the pineapple at all.  Even my original post didn't call for adding cinnamon to the pineapple mixture but somewhere along the way, I've started doing that as well. 

So as recipes and process evolve, I thought it might be nice to share some lessons learned along the way.

• If you like the idea of making these for breakfast but it seems like a lot for so early in the morning, you can make the pineapple mixture the night before and refrigerate.  Just pull it out while you let the pancake batter hydrate and heat the griddle.
• If you are really not a morning person, you can also prepare the dry ingredients the night before and cover with a plate.  Then all you have to do in the morning is add the wet ingredients, let sit for 15 mins and go for it.
• Hydrating the batter by letting it sit for the 15 mins does actually make a difference in the pancake
• Though many recipes say that you can substitute regular milk with lemon juice squeezed in for buttermilk, I think real buttermilk makes or breaks the pancakes.  Just sayin is all.
• Pancakes have never been an exact science in this house.  One person said her batter was a little thin, another mentioned his was a little thick.  It will depend on where you live and what kind of flour you used.  I happened to use whole wheat pastry flour and had to add the whole 2 1/2 cups of buttermilk to get the batter consistency I like.  I also like a thinner batter, while others prefer a thicker one. I've yet to see a pancake ruined because someone added 1/4 cup too much or too little buttermilk.
• You can absolutely top with maple syrup instead of cream. Or even a whipped cream because what is the vanilla cream but whipped cream that hasn't been whipped. :)  But just know that vanilla cream is just so tasty.
• And finally, truth be told, I've always used fresh pineapple because the original Snooze article called for it.  But they also throw the fresh pineapple right onto the pancake.  Since I cook it first, you might not really need it to be fresh pineapple.  Fresh pineapple is so lovely to behold though...

 

Between the butter and sugar in the pineapple and the cream and butter in the topping, these are obviously not for the faint at heart.  But they are without a doubt my favorite pancake ever.  And they make a pretty phenomenal dinner...because in the end, pancakes are really dinner food right?

Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes

Cinnamon Butter

5 tbsp softened butter

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon.

Mix ingredients, roll into log in wax paper and refrigerate to harden.  Slice before serving

Vanilla Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine ingredients in small saucepan over med heat. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved and cream thickens slightly

Carmelized Pineapple
1 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Melt butter over med-high heat.  Add brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until mixture bubbles.  Add pineapple and cook additional 3-5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly

Basic Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2-2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp melted butter

1. Whisk together dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.
2. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix gently to combine taking care not to overmix. Set aside to allow batter to hydrate for 15 mins. Add additional buttermilk for thinner batter
3. Heat griddle to 350 degrees (or pan over med/med high heat)
4. Ladle about 1/3-1/2 cup batter onto hot griddle topping each pancake with generous tbsp or so of pineapple mixture
5. Flip when bubble rise and pop and edges appear firm. 
6. Serve with cinnamon butter and  vanilla cream
7. Makes approximately 12-14 pancakes