Piece of Cake: (Pine)apple of my eye

Laken Wagner, JAG editor-in-chief
January 19, 2016

In the event of being sick, most people turn to sleeping in and watching movies all day while eating soup and the like. My natural reaction, of course, is to spend my time in the kitchen experimenting (for myself mainly, of course).

So, in the event of having leftover pineapple from roasting a ham, I took it upon myself to make the cake from my Girl Scout camp-filled childhood. Pineapple upside down cake can be tricky if you have a complex recipe, but few people know that it can be made with boxed cake mix and still turn out amazing.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Start to finish: 1 hour

Servings: 8

Here’s what you need:

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup chopped pineapple

8 maraschino cherries

½ package of white or yellow cake mix

Due to extra sugars from the fruit, cake will caramelize on the outside more than usual.
Due to extra sugars from the fruit, cake will caramelize on the outside more than usual.

Here’s the fun part:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 6-inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray.

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and melted butter.

Arrange the pineapple and cherries into whatever pattern you’d like in the bottom of the cake pan, then cover with the brown sugar mixture.

Prepare the boxed cake as instructed, only using half the mix, and therefore half the necessary ingredients.

Pour the cake batter on top of the fruit and brown sugar in the cake pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, then another 5 minutes at 450 F.

To remove, slide a butter knife around the inside edges of the cooled pan before quickly flipping onto a plate or serving platter.

If baked correctly, all fruit previously in the bottom of the pan will remain in place once removed from the pan.
If baked correctly, all fruit previously in the bottom of the pan will remain in place once removed from the pan.

Here are some tips:

  • Use a pan with high edges to prevent spillage while baking
  • When cooling, poke holes into the top of the cake using a toothpick or wooden skewer, then drizzle simple syrup over the cake. This creates a sweeter cake and moister texture
  • Create a simple glaze by combining ¼ cup powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons water, or milk, to pour over the cake once released from the pan

It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s easy and it tastes great. It’s a small indulgence, but it satisfies every sweet tooth I’ve ever had. Until next time, fellow foodies.

Junior Laken Wagner has been spending time in the kitchen since she was five years old, where both baking and cooking have always filled her extra time. She enjoys baking more than anything else and can frequently be found decorating cakes or trying out new recipes.

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