If you grew up in the Philippines enjoying the wonderful sweetness of cakes and pastries, you—and probably most of the population—have Liberty Flour Mills (LFM) to thank for it.
Incorporated in 1958, LFM was the country’s pioneer in milling flour, as well as in manufacturing mixes for hot cakes, mamon, doughnuts and miracle cake. Producing a large market share of all-purpose flour and cake flour, LFM also churned out mixes for cake variants under the brand name Maya, from chocolate and butter cake mixes to brownies, cupcakes and even the old-fashioned chocolate rice porridge Filipinos all know as champorado.
Thus is the story of LFM intertwined with the story of baking in the Philippines. Aside from enabling homemakers to bake scrumptious treats (fruit cake! chiffon cake! mocha roll!), the Maya Bakeshop in Mandaluyong also ran a school in the ’60s where housewives and professionals could learn baking basics and advance techniques in a comprehensive course of 138 hours (all for the princely sum of P50).
Among its graduates who’ve since established their own bakeshops are Gloria Nichols of Rolling Pin, the Go sisters of Goldilocks, Luningning Go of Joni’s, Inocencia Hizon Zamora of Hizon’s, and Nieves de Leon Cruz and Nena Cruz Jacinto of D’Swan.
In addition, there was the Great Maya Cookfest which, from the ’70s to the early ’90s, was the ultimate contest to join and win. With attractive prizes and extensive publicity, the contest made celebrities of its winners. Among the most illustrious: Jessie Sincioco, who was then working in a bank. Winning the Maya Cookfest gave her the inspiration to shift careers from banking to baking. Now she’s one of the country’s best-known chefs.
Cake trends
How appropriate then that in LFM’s commemorative book celebrating half a century of baking, a section would be devoted to the cakes of our years. The book traces cake trends from the ’60s to the 2000s. As in the fashion industry, certain cakes became the cakes of choice during each decade. From the pineapple upside down cake of the ’60s to the brownies of the ’70s to the black forest cake of the ’80s, the carrot cake of the ’90s and the rum cake of the 2000s, the book “Simply Delicious” acknowledges them all and gives recipes for most.
Here is Maya’s recipe for pineapple upside down cake. Once a perennial favorite, this cake became relegated to oblivion with the advent of more sophisticated cakes. But to those who love it, its appeal has never diminished.
The caramelized crusted sugar dripping on a soft sponge cake, the pineapples baked to a mellow sweetness and the maraschino cherries glistening like rubies give this cake a richness and allure all its own. For those who grew up relishing it, pineapple upside down cake brings about feelings of nostalgia.
To see it is to remember happy moments of childhood and adolescence; to taste it is to savor once more the sweet, mellow flavors of long ago.
Pineapple Upside
Down Cake
For the topping:
1/3 cup melted butter
2/3 c light-brown sugar
5-6 round slices pineapple
5-6 maraschino cherries
Pour melted butter into a 9”- x 4”-inch round pan. Over this, sprinkle the sugar, then arrange the pineapple slices and maraschino cherries. Set aside.
For the cake:
2 ¼ c Maya cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ c sugar (for the egg yolk mixture)
½ c vegetable oil
8 egg yolks
¾ c water
8 egg whites
½ tsp cream of tartar
¾ c sugar (for the egg
white mixture)
Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and the ¾ cup sugar for the yolks. Make a well at the center and add oil, egg yolks and water. Blend until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¾ cup sugar and continue beating until stiff. Fold into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until done (a thin knife inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean). Cool slightly on a wire rack then invert onto a serving plate. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
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Cook’s tips
You can also bake this in a 13” x 9” x 2” rectangular pan. Just double the recipe for the topping.
Transfer the whites to a separate bowl as you separate them from the yolks. This way if a speck of yolk suddenly gets into the egg white currently being separated, the whole batch of egg whites won’t be spoiled.
“Simply Delicious: 50 Years of Good Food from Maya” is available in National Book Store.
