Fast & Easy Recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake That Starts With An Easy Mix

By Damien Andrews

Although this desert calls for an oven proof skillet or cast iron skillet to bake the cake in, you can still make Pineapple Upside Down Cake without one. But if you do have a cast iron skillet, what a flavor and texture difference it will make! The caramelized brown sugar topping on a Pineapple Upside Down Cake is so much better if you use a well seasoned cast iron skillet to bake it in.

What you will need:

1. 1/3 cup butter
2. ½ cup brown sugar
3. 8 slices of pineapple
4. Maraschino cherries
5. Pecan halves
6. 1 box of yellow cake mix, I prefer Betty Crocker mix
7. 1-1/4 cup water (see back of cake mix for exact quantity)
8. 1/3 cup vegetable oil (see back of cake mix for exact quantity)
9. 3 eggs (see back of cake mix for exact quantity)

In a 10" oven proof skillet or cast iron skillet*, melt the butter over a medium high heat. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange the pineapple slices so that they cover bottom of the skillet, adding cherries to the center of each pineapple. It's fine to cut some of the pineapple slices in half to get the best coverage. Now place the pecan slices between the pineapple slices. Set the skillet aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the box of yellow cake mix to the water, oil and eggs called for on the box. Mix according to the instructions on the cake mix box. Slowly pour the properly mixed and beaten cake batter on top of the pineapple arrangement in the bottom of the cast iron skillet.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Hold a large plate firmly against the top of the skillet and then quickly flip them over to get the cake onto the plate. Set the plate aside for 20 minutes to allow all the goodies to fall down and into place. Refrigerate leftovers, which can be served cold or reheated.

*If you don't have a cast iron skillet, simply melt the butter in a sauce pan. Then pour the melted butter into the bottom of a Bundt type cake pan or any round cake pan that has at least 3" tall sides. Continue with the recipe as directed above.