In Memory Of Karen Nicole Smith, 1972 - 2016

Cheater’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake.


When you’re in the mood (as was I) for a delicious slice of Pineapple Upside Down Cake but you dislike baking (too precise for my liking) nor do you have the time to make one from scratch, you reach for a boxed cake mix and get busy in the kitchen. Do you enjoy your Pineapple Upside Down Cake warm as I do?

You’ll Need…

1 boxed cake mix
Ingredients mentioned on the package
2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
15-20 maraschino cherries
2 can pineapple slices
pineapple juice from the can
2-3 tablespoon melted butter

Notes! The cake mix I opted for said to use 1 cup of water, however I replaced that with the pineapple juice/syrup from the can the slices came in (1 cup). In the video below I explained a few things to help get the perfect cake. Including how to adjust the bake time, why I used the cherry flakes cake mix and how using an orange cake mix may enhance the flavor of your finished cake even more.

Place all the mentioned ingredients (from the packaged cake), except replace the liquid with the pineapple juice and create the batter. Try to not over-mix.

I used a bundt baking pan, however you may use any baking pan you have on hand. As you pre-heat the oven according to the cake’s instructions, brush the pan with the melted butter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar evenly.

You may watch the video below to watch how I did this step, along with adding the pineapple slices and cherries.

Pour in the batter evenly, then tap the pan to have the batter settle evenly. If you’re using the same style pan I used, may I recommend putting it on a baking tray before placing it in the oven. Explained in the video below.

Bake according to the package instructions. BUT!… you will need to adjust the cook time to compensate for the pineapple slices we added. After the recommended bake time, I did the toothpick test. Basically you stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake and if it comes out wet or with batter stuck to it, it means you need to place the cake back into the oven.

In my case it took a further 10 minutes of baking to get to the beautiful golden color and for the toothpick to come back out dry.

Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip it onto the dish you’ll be serving it on. You may need to use a knife to loosen the sides before removing the cake from the pan.

There’s nothing wrong with using a boxed cake mix (all the stupid comments on IG), as the results are spectacular… especially for a novice baker as I am who just wanted a warm slice of Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

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