Take 2 - Up-side down pineapple polenta cakes

Well I decided to do a spot of mid-week baking and try and prefect the up-side down pineapple polenta cakes. This had the added advantage that I could also take them to friends at work that I visit on Thursdays when I work in the city! Hopefully they will have returned from the field to enjoy them.

Anyway as some of you will know I tried the these little up-side down cakes when I was in Blackheath over a week and a half ago. I wasn't completely happy with the recipe as the mixture was too generous and I thought I'd like more coconut. So I took Sue Sheppard's recipe, cut most ingredients down to two thirds of the original, used brown sugar instead of caster and added a little extra moisture by adding pineapple juice to the polenta soaking batter and just before spooning into the cupcake tine I also added the drained juice from the crushed pineapple. With the extra liquid the little cakes took an extra couple of minutes to bake but the end result was very tasty and moist, especially served up with natural yogurt.

Now the revised recipe is just enough to make 12 cupcakes using about a 1/4 of a cup of batter per cupcake and they are a bit more golden in colour due to the use of brown sugar over caster sugar. And thankfully they are just as tasty as Sue original recipe! And they were also a hit with the city work crew - yay!

Up-side down pineapple polenta cakes (Adapted from Sue Sheppard's Gluten Free Kitchen)

Makes 12
90g yogurt
60g butter softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
¼c pineapple juice
2/3c quick cooking polenta
50g rice flour
¼ cup shredded coconut
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarb soda
½ tsp xanthum gum
1c tinned crushed pineapple drained (440g tin)

1. Cream butter and sugar, mix in yogurt then eggs one at a time. Stir in polenta and pineapple juice until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 180degress C and line a 12 hole standard muffin tin.
3. Whisk the flour, coconut, baking powder, bicarb soda and xanthum gum in a large bowl until well combined.
4. Add half of the dry ingredients to the polenta mixture and beat on low spread until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well. (When draining pineapple you can add the extra juice to the batter for extra flavor and moisture)
5. Divide drained crushed pineapple between each muffin tin – about a tablespoon per hole, then spoon in batter, dividing equally between each hole. Bake for 18-20 mins or until firm to touch. Cool in tin for 5 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve pineapple side up. Great with cream or natural yogurt.

Baked Wednesday 15th October