Pineapple Upside Down Cake

If you’re a caker, you know how important canned pineapple rings are to our clan. They’re just so versatile. Encase them in JELL-O to serve alongside the ham and mashed padaydas. Or make Christmas candles with them. Or use them to create phallic-looking food. You can even shellac them to wear as bracelets, provided you have freakishly small wrists. (Hand up! LOL!)

I was reluctant to make this Pineapple Upside Down Cake because whenever I have to turn something upside down to get it out of the pan, I panic. Trust me, you don’t want to hear the commotion whenever I release a JELL-O mould. It’s like I’m giving birth. “IS IT OUT YET?!? HOW DID I GET TALKED INTO THIS?!? OH GOD PLEASE TELL ME IT’S OUT!!!”

But I’m happy to report this cake slipped out real easy-like. And just look at this beauty! It’s more glamorous than Elizabeth Taylor in a White Diamonds perfume commercial. (Kinda makes you wonder why Liz never came out with a pineapple-scented perfume.) Looks aside, it’s also delicious. I’ve got the paunch to prove it.

Speaking of paunches, September is Reader Recipe Month!

All month long, I make, eat and post your recipes. If you haven’t submitted a recipe yet, you’ve got until August 31. After that, you’ll miss out on all the fame and gory. I mean, glory. Email your recipes to cakercooking at gmail dot com.

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped nuts or maraschino cherries (or both, if desired) (See note 1)

Drained canned pineapple slices (See note 2)

Single layer cake mix or enough cake batter for an 8-inch square pan (See note 3)

Melt butter in cake pan and sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange fruit over sugar; mix and add nuts or cherries. Prepare cake batter. Pour the batter over fruit and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Extra good served with ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Note 1: Uh, yeah.

Note 2: My can had eight slices in it, which was annoying because I wanted nine to make three rows of three. If you’re one of those anal Martha Stewartson types, you might want to get a bigger can.

Note 3: I don’t think single layer cake mixes exist anymore. So I used a regular box mix and filled up the pan to what I thought was the right amount. Then I drank the leftover batter.

Source: Madoc Centennial Cookbook, St. John-The-Baptist Anglican Church, Madoc, Ontario, 1978