Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
Pineapple Upside Down Cake

When I was a kid I was given my choice of cake my mom would make for my birthday. I’m not sure why but I always asked for pineapple upside down cake. It may be that I just liked the taste of pineapple with a classic yellow cake mix or it was the only cake my mom knew how to make. I’m not sure.
Yesterday was my birthday, and my 11 year old daughter asked me what kind of cake I would like. I flashed back to when I was her age and requested pineapple upside down cake and sure enough she made it for me with very little help on my part. All I did was facilitate her getting the cast iron skillet into the oven, removing it and flipping it onto a plate. The rest she did herself with some additional help from her friend Duncan as in Duncan Hines Moist Classic Yellow Cake. I was impressed.
Now you can make your own cake batter from scratch, and I will post a recipe for that too but when in a hurry or are just a kid doing it for the first time, there is nothing wrong with a little commercial cake mix. It just cuts out a few steps and speeds up the process.
When my mom made her pineapple upside down cake, she used a rectangular bake pan and crushed pineapple but for this recipe, we used a large cast iron skillet and pineapple slices. My mom always served her pineapple upside down cake with real whip cream so I taught my daughter how to make it herself.
We prepared a great dinner of grilled steaks with a port wine demi glace sauce, steamed yellow squash and rice pilaf, but the highlight of the meal and the one that took me back to my childhood was the cake. It was a great night.
Important: Although my daughter prepared most of this cake by herself, I was still there watching what she was doing especially since she was working with the stove top and oven.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 can of pineapple slices
some maraschino cherries
1 box of your favorite yellow cake mix
How to Prepare
I used a large cast iron pan because it is heavy and I can stick it into the oven without having to worry about it burning the bottom of the cake. You can prepare the topping in a sauce pan and transfer it to a cake pan with 2 inch high sides but then you have two pans to clean up.
Preheat your oven to 350°F degrees.
Heat your pan over medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar to it and let the brown sugar melt and the mixture start to boil. My daughter asked me how to measure out 2/3 cup of butter and I told her she can let it come to room temperature and use a measuring cup or look at the butter wrapper for the conveniently marked measurements. She opted for the second idea.
When the butter and brown sugar start boiling, remove from heat and start adding whole pineapple slices to the bottom of the pan. Cut some remaining slices in half and line the edge of the cast iron pan with the half pieces. Add some cherries to the holes in the whole pineapple slices and you are ready for the yellow cake batter.
Prepare the box of yellow cake mix following the directions on the box. The recipe my daughter followed called for three eggs and for some reason she only added two but the end result was fine. I’m not sure how the third egg would have changed the taste, but her version was delicious.
When the cake batter is ready, pour the cake mix into the cast iron pan and bake for the amount of time suggested on the cake box. You know it’s done when you can stick a toothpick into the cake and it comes out clean. My daughter’s cake took a little longer than the recipe said it would which is why the toothpick test is a better indicator.
When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and immediately loosen the side of the cake from the pan with a dinner knife and let it cool for a few minutes. Once cooled down some, place a plate on top of the pan and flip it over. It should come out easily looking delicious and ready to eat.
Whip up some homemade whip cream, add some birthday candles and you are ready to blow.
Yellow Cake From Scratch
For those of you who would like to make your moist yellow cake from scratch, here is a simple recipe for you:






