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Fat-free Pineapple Upside-down Cake

A pineapple upside-down cake made without fat, using skim milk and egg whites.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Fat-free Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Oven350°F
Time35 to 40 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the pan

  1. Spray a 9‑inch cake pan with cooking spray.

  2. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and lemon juice; stir to combine.

  3. Place the pan in a 350°F oven for 3 minutes.

  4. Arrange pineapple rings and cherries in the pan; set aside.

Make the batter

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

  2. In a medium bowl, stir sugar and milk until the sugar is almost dissolved.

  3. Add egg whites, corn syrup, and vanilla; stir until blended.

  4. Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, stirring until smooth.

  5. Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake and serve

  1. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  2. Immediately loosen the edge of the cake with a spatula and invert onto a serving plate.

  3. Remove the pan.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

914Calories
32 gProtein
16 gFat
164 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Pineapple1 cup chunks (165g)82
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Syrupnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,842 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Corn + milktop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,955 recipes

    Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).

  3. Pineapple + milktop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together885 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Lemon + pineappletop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,964 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Corn + flourtop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,165 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Egg whites provide structure as they set during baking, giving the cake its light, airy crumb.
Cornstarch
Tenderizes the crumb by diluting the flour's gluten, giving a softer, more delicate texture.
Baking powder
Releases gas when heated, helping the batter rise in the oven.
Light corn syrup
Adds sweetness and moisture and helps the brown sugar topping stay soft and glossy.
Brown sugar
Forms the caramelized topping that becomes the cake's upside-down surface.

The step that matters

Invert the cake immediately. Loosening the edges and turning the cake out while it is still hot lets the caramel topping release cleanly. As it cools, the sugar sets and can stick to the pan, tearing the pineapple layer.

Swap the pineapple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, corn, syrup, lemon, flour, milk, egg):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Raisinfits better
  3. Figfits better
  4. Pineapplethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, corn, syrup, lemon, flour, milk, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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