Pineapple Upside Down Cake

We had a dinner guest this week... a friend I hadn't seen in several years. So, I wanted to bake a special dessert instead of just sending the kids to eat whatever happened to be in the cookie jar. I bought Betty Crocker cake mix at the grocery store a little over a week ago for $1 per box and was able to just pull one out of the cupboard. I didn't have any marachino cherries on hand, but this cake was just as yummy without them.

The Betty Crocker website has a recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake using a yellow cake mix. The instructions state to use a 9x13 pan, but I wanted a round cake for my Springtime cake stand, and I didn't want a large cake at dinner. So, I made two round cakes planning to freeze one for later use.

You will need:
1 box yellow cake mix
all items listed on the box to prepare a 2 layer cake (eggs, oil, water)
1 can pineapple rings (reserve juice)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar

This recipe is VERY EASY. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 1/2 stick butter in each of 2 9 inch round nonstick cake pans. Place pans in oven until butter melts. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of brown sugar into the bottom of each pan on top of the melted butter.

Drain the can of pineapples (reserving juice) and place five pineapple rings in a single layer in the bottom of each pan on top of the butter/sugar mixture.

Mix cake mix as directed for a 2 layer cake (BUT, replace part of the water with as much pineapple juice as you have reserved from the can.) Pour batter evenly into each pan. Bake in oven as directed on the box of cake mix. Cool on wire rack before removing from pan.

When it was time to de-pan, I went around the edge with a table knife to loosen the edges. Then I placed my cake plate upside down on top of the pan. I then held each side firmly and flipped the entire cake upside down before removing the pan gently.

We LOVED this cake. It was very moist and was a good use of cake mix instead of the usual frosted cake or even frosted cupcakes. It felt special without breaking the budget at around $2 total for the ingredients. My guest had two servings and it felt like a very Springtime dessert. I hope you will try it too and let me know how you enjoy it! In the meantime, if you see cake mix go on sale at your store, I recommend that you put at least one box in your cupboard.