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11/09/2007: "Pineapple Upside-Down Cake"

My friend's boyfriend recently had a birthday and I decided to whip up one of his all time favorite cakes. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is such a great and classic cake for parties, and I'm happy to report that he loved it! So I am here to share that recipe.

Doesn't that look glorious?
Click for recipe and more pictures.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

2 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple slices in juice, undrained and unsweetened (very important!)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
12 maraschino cherries, halved
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip
4 eggs
1 cup cold water

Topping:
1 block butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Drain pineapple, reserving 2 Tbsp. of the juice; set aside. Mix brown sugar and butter in 13x9-inch baking pan. Arrange pineapple slices in pan, cutting slices if necessary to evenly fit onto bottom of pan. Place 2 slices of the halved cherries, cut side up, in center of each slice. Sprinkle with the reserved pineapple juice.

BEAT dry cake mix, eggs and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 2 minutes. Add the cool whip and beat on medium speed 4 minutes or until well blended. Carefully spoon into prepared pan.
BAKE 50 to 55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed. (You can also stick a toothpick, if it comes out clean - it is done). Let stand 10 minutes; invert onto serving plate. Let stand 1 minute; remove pan. Melt butter and brown sugar together in a sauce pan, spread glaze evenly onto the top of the cake.

Serve warm or cooled.


Melted butter.


Brown sugar is the best.


Butter and brown sugar together in harmony.


Ready for the pineapples!


All ready for the batter.


People usually put just half a cherry, but I decided to put two...who can it hurt?


A cake is ready to be made.


The original recipe I used asked for an envelop of dream whipped topping mix, but I couldn't find it! So I used cool whip instead, worked out just fine!


The cake doesn't look too great out of the oven.


Here it is "upside-down." The original recipe did not call for the topping, but I thought the top looked a bit plain...and didn't think it would taste as good. So I did add an impromptu topping of brown sugar and butter. It worked out quite well. By the way, none of these pictures contain the cake with the brown sugar topping, it was a very late minute addition!


Up-close of the pineapple.