light pineapple upside-down cake

On Sunday we had friends from the GTA come down for a visit. We decided to take them to Ravine Vineyards in St. David's. This is a beautiful winery that offers much more than just the winery experience of tours, tastings & sales. There is a cafe, bakery and full restaurant on site. They set up a skating rink on the property for the winter, so we thought it would be the perfect place to have Owen try skating for the first time.

We have him on double blades, which made him very confident, to the point he insisted on doing it all himself. As I hovered over him I knew the inevitable spill would happen, and when it did Owen didn't take it so well. He gave up after his first fall so we took him in for hot chocolate. It was sunny and beautiful Sunday afternoon, but as the day wore on the temperatures dropped. Once inside we were pleased to see this winery has our favouite local brewery Niagara Oast House's Barn Raiser on tap.

Earlier in the afternoon I baked this Light Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from Everyday Food Light. We used a gorgeous juicy pineapple which Nuno expertly sliced. I love the checkerboard pattern (instead of the traditional rings), it just ensures you get all the more fruit on your piece of cake. Owen helped mix the ingredients for the cake and snacked on extra slices of pineapple.

It was only after the cake was out of the oven, I re-read the recipe to discover I forgot the oil in the cake. I was quite nervous because the cake has whole wheat flour and I had a concern it might be tough and dry. But amazingly, this cake turned out fantastic. The pineapple keeps the cake super moist my baking flub might be one I continue to make. This cake reminds me of a coffee cake but in place of strusel we have fruit. The fruit layer makes this a 'healthy' cake, perfect for breakfast with my morning coffee. Definitely a winner of a cake, perfect for those of us who like the odd sweet allowing us to indulge relatively guilt-free!