Skinny Pineapple Ginger Upside-Down Cake

Our lovely vacation is quickly nearing an end.  Isn't it amazing how quickly time can fly? I never believed it before I had children.  Now I can't ever seem to have enough time with the boys.  The boys have been wanting to make a cake they could share with some friends on these last few days of vacation.  I had been thinking about making this cake for a while and this seemed like a perfect opportunity.  The pineapple and ginger work so well together. They really are one of those elite taste combinations and it adds a bit of a new life and freshness into a very traditional pineapple upside-down cake.

This pineapple ginger upside-down cake has no added fat which really helps keep the point and calories low.  It uses the juice from the pineapple to caramelize the sugar.  It also cuts way down on the sugar content by adding crushed pineapple to the batter.  I don't like to feed my boys a lot of things with artificial sugar and additives.  This cake is still wonderfully satisfying without all of the 'extra' things.  If you really don't like ginger, which I am having trouble even imagining, you can leave it out and just have the traditional cake.

There is no reason not to have your cake and eat it too with this recipe!  Let me know how your cake recipe has gone and tag me in any pictures on Instagram or Facebook! 

Skinny Pineapple Ginger Upside-Down Cake
homefamilylove.com
Servings: 10 ★ Size: 1/10th cake ★ Smart Points: 6 ★ Points Plus: 4 ★ Calories: 141 ★ Total Fat: 1 g ★ Saturated Fat: 0 g ★ Protein: 4 g ★ Carbohydrates: 32 g ★ Fiber: 2 g ★ Sugars: 21 g ★ Sodium: 132 mg ★ Cholesterol:  22 mg

Ingredients:
· 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
· 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
· 1 20-ounce (567 g) canned pineapple slices, in juice and drained
· 20 maraschino cherries 
· 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, in juice and drained
· 1/3 cup (75 ml) 0% Greek yogurt
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
· 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
· 1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk, low-fat
· 1 1/4 cup (160 g) whole wheat flour
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
· 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare an 8 or 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and spraying the sides with non-stick spray.  Mix together the first 1/2 cup brown sugar and teaspoon ginger.  Spread it along the bottom of the pan. Place the pineapple slices around it with a cherry in any space around the pineapple slices.

2. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, mix the crushed pineapple, Greek yogurt, vanilla, brown sugar, and grated ginger. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet slowly alternating adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk. 

4. Pour the batter over the prepared pineapple and cherries.  Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before inverting onto a plate.  You want to give the caramel time to cool so that it doesn't just ooze off the cake.  (My kids were a little too impatient.  I didn't let it sit for 30 minutes. You'll notice the caramel oozing in the photos!)