Dad’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake
A few years ago, when a beach vacation coincided with a couple of family birthdays and Father’s Day, I decided that I’d perfect my father’s favorite cake, which, by the way, is also an acceptable breakfast option according to Dad. (The picture from Kraft.com looks a lot like my version of the cake, only my pineapples are darker due to the dark brown sugar)
I’m not sure when he decided he liked Pineapple Upside Down cake. From my research, I discovered that this particular dessert became popular in the late 1920’s due to the mass production of sliced pineapples and became all the rage once again during the 1950’s and 60’s. Since my dad was born in 1931, I’m thinking he must have fallen in love with this cake as a little boy or as a young man in the 1950’s. Yes, I’m guessing because he’s not answering the land line. He’s probably out in his garden harvesting tomatoes or tinkering with something in his garage, and no, he doesn’t have a cell phone. If you’re interested in the history of food like Pineapple Upside Down Cake or the maraschino cherry, you should go to www.whatscookingamerica.net. It’s a great site!
When I looked at the old recipe I had, I knew what would make it even better—dark brown sugar and my favorite yellow butter cake mix. Yes, simple changes, but ones that boosted the flavor and yielded lots of compliments. Some people like to use skillets and round pans. This recipe is for a 13x9 cake.
Ingredients for the bottom:
Can of Pineapple Rings with juice (reserve ¼ cup juice to combine with brown sugar & butter, Use rest of juice as a partial substitute for water in the cake mix)
Jar of Maraschino Cherries
2 cups Dark Brown Sugar
1 stick Salted Butter
Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix. Mix according to directions on package, but use as much of the reserved pineapple juice as possible in place of water.
Preheat oven to 350°. Once oven is finished preheating, place stick of butter in 9x13 inch pan (be sure to spray sides of pan with PAM or a similar product). Melt butter in oven, checking often. When butter is completely melted, take pan out of oven and stir in the brown sugar until it is incorporated in the butter. Next, stir in the ¼ cup of pineapple juice. Arrange pineapple rings and cherries inside the rings in a single layer on top of the brown sugar mixture. Mix cake batter. Pour over the pineapples and brown sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake is done in the center and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before flipping onto a cake board or platter.
I’m not sure when he decided he liked Pineapple Upside Down cake. From my research, I discovered that this particular dessert became popular in the late 1920’s due to the mass production of sliced pineapples and became all the rage once again during the 1950’s and 60’s. Since my dad was born in 1931, I’m thinking he must have fallen in love with this cake as a little boy or as a young man in the 1950’s. Yes, I’m guessing because he’s not answering the land line. He’s probably out in his garden harvesting tomatoes or tinkering with something in his garage, and no, he doesn’t have a cell phone. If you’re interested in the history of food like Pineapple Upside Down Cake or the maraschino cherry, you should go to www.whatscookingamerica.net. It’s a great site!
When I looked at the old recipe I had, I knew what would make it even better—dark brown sugar and my favorite yellow butter cake mix. Yes, simple changes, but ones that boosted the flavor and yielded lots of compliments. Some people like to use skillets and round pans. This recipe is for a 13x9 cake.
Ingredients for the bottom:
Can of Pineapple Rings with juice (reserve ¼ cup juice to combine with brown sugar & butter, Use rest of juice as a partial substitute for water in the cake mix)
Jar of Maraschino Cherries
2 cups Dark Brown Sugar
1 stick Salted Butter
Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix. Mix according to directions on package, but use as much of the reserved pineapple juice as possible in place of water.
Preheat oven to 350°. Once oven is finished preheating, place stick of butter in 9x13 inch pan (be sure to spray sides of pan with PAM or a similar product). Melt butter in oven, checking often. When butter is completely melted, take pan out of oven and stir in the brown sugar until it is incorporated in the butter. Next, stir in the ¼ cup of pineapple juice. Arrange pineapple rings and cherries inside the rings in a single layer on top of the brown sugar mixture. Mix cake batter. Pour over the pineapples and brown sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake is done in the center and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before flipping onto a cake board or platter.
What's your dad's favorite dessert?
Labels: favorite dad desserts
posted by Mo H @ 10:20 AM
8 Comments:
Mo, that pineapple cake sure looks yummy! My dad loves Angel food cake.
Thanks, Theresa! Do you use a special family recipe when you make the angel food cake?
That definitely looks yummy, Mo. My dad's favorite is lemonade cake. Unfortunately, it was made with a yellow cake mix and lemon jello, but now that they put pudding in the mix, it doesn't work. Instead of being light and fluffy, it falls. He also loved the Nabisco Lemon Cooler cookies, which I can't seem to find either. A friend of ours makes him a lemon meringue pie every once in a while. Yep, he loves lemons. :-)
Judy,
If your dad is a lemon fan, you might want to try this. I make a lemon cake in the spring. Yellow box mix with three teaspoons of fine lemon zest, store bought lemon curd for the filling between the cake layers and white fluffy frosting. My daughter, also a lemon fan, really likes it.
I can't remember him having a favorite. Just dessert. Something sweet. There always had to be dessert. And he always had room.
Oh, my goodness, Mo, that sounds really yummy. Thanks!
Thanks, Mo! You've reminded me that my dad's fav is date squares. Guess what he's getting for Father's Day!
do you use the heavy syrup pineapple or regular pineapple juice for this recipe?
looks yummy!
my dad liked homemade dutch apple pie--he made it a lot with granny smith apples... we'd help him make the dough and we'd eat it raw (back in the day--so sweet and yummy).
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