Super Moist Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a regular aound most southern dinner tables and when I was a girl, it was even a regular in the school cafeteria! The flavor of a buttery cake, topped with brown sugar and that glazed slice of pineapple on top with a cherry in the center – whats not to love?

The way I make this cake is as easy as they come and you can pull off a nostalgic showstopper in no time flat! Everyone whose had my pineapple upside down cake goes on and on about how moist it is and how they just don’t know what I do to get it so moist! Today, I’m going to share my secret with you – and the fact that it was a complete and total mistake that led me to having the reputation of making the moistest pineapple upside down cake around!

You’ll need: Cake mix (Yellow or Pineapple Supreme), cherries, pineapple slices, brown sugar, and margarine (not pictured).

Note: The only reason why I have name brand pineapple slices for this recipe is that I was at my mother’s earlier and raided her pantry for them . Y’all know I don’t buy name brand pineapple!

You’ll also need the ingredients your cake mix calls for.

Turn your oven on 350 and while we are mixing up the cake batter, place a stick of margarine in a 9×13 inch pan and place in preheating oven so it melts.

Now, we’re going to go by tbe box instructions on how to make our cake, with one exception.

Drain the juice from your pineapple and use that as part of the water.

My can of pineapple yielded just over 3/4 of a cup of juice so according to my package, I’m going to add enough water to make 1 1/3 cup of liquid (in place of plain water) to add.

Then we add the vegetable oil and eggs according to the box and mix it up well.

Adding in this juice is going to make our cake so flavorful!

Once your batter is mixed up, remove pan from oven. Your butter should be nice and melted like this.

Sprinkle about a cup of brown sugar over the butter in your pan.

Until it looks like this. If you need to use more than a cup you can.

Or if you eat half of it on the way to the pan….

Place your pineapple slices on top of the cake, putting a cherry in the center of each one. If you don’t have cherries, don’t feel like you need to go buy them special just for this, just make it pineapple only and it will still be delicious .

Thank goodness there is always a slice or two of pineapple left in the can!!! I’m eating that right now…

Gently pour your cake batter over the pineapple.

Until it looks like this. Now place this in your 350 degree oven for about forty five minutes.

I have cake boards which I cover in foil and use to turn my cakes out onto.

Its just a thin piece of wood I had my dad cut for me.

I have them in all different sizes (I often like to make really big cakes!) and they come in so handy!

(This one was in my daughter’s room. I covered it in foil before the photo so you wouldn’t see all of the stick people she drew on it with her markers. We’re trying to look professional here ~laughs hysterically~)

Once your cake looks done, make sure you can press on the center and it springs back a bit before you remove it from the oven (or just use the toothpick trick. Insert a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean your cake is done).

Let sit on the counter for ten minutes.

After about ten minutes, turn your cake pan upside down onto your cake board (or whatever you are turning it out onto).

I usually make a 13×18 inch pineapple upside down cake so thats why my board is so big.

Oh my lord. I am about to eat my computer.

Now here is how I accidentally made the moistest pineapple upside down cake ever.

I made one, was running late, and had to take it to dinner at someone’s house. In order to transport it, I stuck toothpicks in it all over, like in this picture (look closely to see toothpicks).

Then I covered it in cling wrap before actually letting it cool (running late, ya know…)

I tucked it in the back seat of my car and headed off while all of that lovely pineapple and brown sugar scented steam made a futile attempt to evaporate.

Kinda like this. Now everyone knows you’re supposed to let cakes cool completely before covering, right? Well off I went, traveling along while my poor cake oozed steam only to have it accumulate on the wrapping and drop back down into the cake as I hit bump after bump.

When I got there, my cling wrap was dry again and my cake…well…

It was the moistest pineapple upside down cake anyone had ever eaten.

Since that day, I’ve gotten complaints anytime I don’t fix it this way so we just keep on repeating history…

Hey, whatever works for you! ~grins~

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• 1 box Yellow Cake Mix (or Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix)
• 1 can Pineapple Slices (make sure your can has at least six. I get the large so I can eat two!)
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 jar of cherries (optional)
• 1 C Brown Sugar

In 9×13 inch pan, melt butter. Once butter is melted, sprinkle brown sugar all over bottom of pan. Place pineapple slices on top of brown sugar, reserving pineapple juice. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple slice.

Prepare cake mix as directed on package, substituting pineapple juice for some of the water called for. Slowly pour cake mix over pineapple slices and cherries.

Bake at 350 for forty five minutes, or until toothpick insterted in cake comes out clean.

For moister cake, cover before it has cooled completely.

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Posted by Christy Jordan on Feb 4 2009. Filed under Cake. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry