Easy peasy pineapple upside down cake

Kiirsten has never had pineapple cake. Who is Kiirsten? Who is pineapple cake? My awesome friend; my awesome cake. So naturally the two should meet. And today we made it happen. We started out the day by walking around Walden Pond in the cold but beautifully sunny weather. It was a serene and peaceful walk and much enjoyed. However afterwards we were brutally cold. So naaaturally we decided it necessary to bake a warm dessert. I don't know what made us in a tropical fruit mood, but something in us whispered "pineapple caaaake." And then we went to work. It's a surprisingly simple recipe and one that takes little to no technical effort for those baking-challenged. Plus it makes for a beautiful presentation! It was a perfect way to end our day :)


Makes one 9"x13" cake

For the cake:

1 standard cake mix
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 20 oz can sliced pineapples (in pineapple juice)
1 6 oz jar maraschino cherries

eggs and oil as according to package directions

My little ranger in the snow

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar until the sugar is melted and not grainy. Pour into a 9"x13" pan and spread evenly over the bottom (if necessary, place pan with brown sugar mixture into the oven to let mixture melt even more, making it easier to spread around). Place pineapple slices evenly over the brown sugar mixture and DO NOT DRAIN THE PINEAPPLE JUICE-- SAVE IT! Drain cherries, place a cherry inside each pineapple circle and decorate the cake however you'd like with the remaining ones.

Then, prepare cake mix according to package directions, substituting the water for pineapple juice from your can (a 20 oz can contains roughly 8 oz of pure juice). Pour mixture over your prepared brown sugar/pineapple/cherry spread. Bake according to cake package's directions (probably 20-35 minutes).

Immediately after taking the cake out of the oven, flip over onto a serving plate. Yum yum done.