You So Fine-Apple Upside Down Cake

I'm ready to cook the pineapples from last week's workshop. I've been very patient while they ripened. Today, pineapple upside down cake - tomorrow, pineapple tea. I'm thinking pineapple ginger popsicles and maybe some kind of savory to follow. It can't all be cakes and sweets, ya know. 

Ingredients

Cake
7 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

Caramel
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp water
1/2 pineapple, cored, sliced (or diced)
2 Tbsp apricot jam

Directions

Make the caramel: Cook the sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved into a dark amber color. Pour the caramel into a round nonstick cake pan. When the caramel has cooled, arrange the pineapple on top of the caramel. 

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Using an mixer, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour and mix well. Pour cake batter over pineapple. 

Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for an hour, turn cake out onto platter. 

Heat apricot jam with water and then brush evenly over cake.