Sweet Mel’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake

It’s not exactly certain when pineapple upside down cake was first spotted in American kitchens, but our best guess is that it happened in the early 1920s. The dish was found in a 1924 copy of a Seattle charity cookbook and dubbed Pineapple Glace, and in a 1925 ad by Gold Medal Flour the sweet treat showed up again. For one reason or another, we celebrate National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day on April 20.

Pineapple upside down cake is baked with a layer of pineapple and cherries on its bottom, traditionally in a cast-iron skillet, and served fruit-side up, or as we think of it, upside down. This year, Sweet Mel’s is whipping up his special recipe for the longtime classic. “The secret is in our glaze,” says the bakery’s owner, Mel Haining. He and his staff serve a mouth-watering cake glowing with golden pineapple and perfectly placed cherries that customers have been coming back to pick-up and take home to enjoy year after year (12 years, to be exact). Be sure to place all orders at least one business day in advance and prepare for the taste of sweet nostalgia.