Pineapple & cherry upside-down sandwich cake

• pack butter↗250g g

  melted, plus a knob to grease

• golden caster sugar↗250g g

  plus 2 tbsp

• can pineapple↗1

  rings

• glacé cherries↗3

  halved (we used red dyed ones to keep it classic, but the choice is yours)

• plain flour↗300g g
• baking powder↗1 tsp tsp
• vanilla extract↗½ tsp tsp
• large eggs↗4
• little icing sugar↗

  for dusting

• cherry jam↗6 tbsp tbsp
• double cream↗250ml ml
• caster sugar↗1 tbsp tbsp
• vanilla extract↗½ tsp tsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins and line bases and sides with baking parchment. Scatter the 2 tbsp caster sugar in the base of one of the tins. Drain the pineapple over a bowl to catch the juices. Measure 100ml of juice into a big mixing bowl. Pat dry 3 pineapple rings with kitchen paper and halve horizontally. Arrange in the sugared tin, then add the glacé cherries.

2. 2

   Add the melted butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and eggs to the pineapple juice, and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins – it should be runny enough to pour over the pineapple to cover. Bake for 30 mins or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Leave for 5 mins, then turn out the cakes onto a wire rack (pineapple-side up), peel off the parchment and cool.

3. 3

   Spread the jam over the cooled sponge without the pineapple. Whisk the cream, sugar and vanilla until thick, then spoon over the jam. Gently sit the pineapple sponge on top, and dust with a little icing sugar. Best eaten within 48 hours.