Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Click on picture to see the whole thing

I have always loved pineapple upside down cake.  I'm not sure when I tried it for the first time, but my guess is probably the chow hall at NAS Jax, Florida.  I'm also sure I had a big glass of cold milk too.  Oops, drooling on the computer, let's get to the recipe.

When you read recipes in the cookbooks, they're all about the same, except for the newer cookbooks don't walk you through making the cake yourself.  Instead they recommend using a boxed yellow or white cake mix.  I've made my own and I've tried the mixes, and I gotta tell ya, for a buck and a half, get the mix.  I would recommend that you at least once make a cake from scratch, though.  Sorry, this time I'm using the mix. But, with some adjustments.  Don't worry, very minor.   : )


Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 20 oz can pineapple slices
1 jar marachino cherries, no stem
1 box yellow or white cake mix
1/4 cup sugar
1 orange
plus eggs, oil, etc on cake mix box
crushed walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Use a 13x9  pan,  melt the butter in the oven
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.  Spread it out to cover the whole pan.

Drain  the pineapple (but save the juice) and place the slices in the pan.  Try to arrange them pretty evenly in the pan.  Then put a cherry in the middle of each slice and if you want, place  a few extra in between.  If you want, sprinkle those optional crushed nuts on there, but don't over do it.

Check the mix box and see how much water it calls for.  Then substitute the water with a mixture of the left over pineapple juice, the juice of one fresh orange, and water.  That's the 1st adjustment. Then mix it all up as directed on the box plus throw in an extra 1/4 cup of sugar. That's the second and final.

Pour the mix over the pineapple and cherries.  Bake for 45 minutes (check the side of the cake mix box).  Test with a toothpick or a fork to make sure it's done.  If it is, the toothpick or fork will come out clean.

Pull from oven and immediately run a knife around he edge of the pan.  This will loosen the cake so it won't stick.  Now place a plate of pan bigger than the cake pan over the cake pan.  Use something that won't melt.  Turn the cake over onto the plate.  Leave the pan over it for a little over 5 minutes to make sure all that juice soaks into the top of the cake, then pull the pan off.  Doesn't taht look yummy?  Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before you cut and serve it.  If ya feel like it throw on a little whip cream.  MMMmmmmmm!

There's that drool again.....  Enjoy!