I don’t know when I came to love pineapple upside down cake, but I mean, it’s cake and pineapple, what’s not to love? And cherries? These are a few of my favorite things!
I make most of my cakes from scratch. It’s not hard. I tell you like I tell my kids, the stuff in box mix is the stuff that would go in the dry bowl. The bag saves measuring time and a dirty bowl — and some days, that’s great. Unfortunately, the stuff in box mix also has crap no one should eat. I’m not gonna get into it, so let’s just say it’s stuff the box company would call enhancers. I call it crap. I am allergic to a lot of crap, so I’m on a low-crap diet. I’m not even sposta have red dye and the cherries are loaded with it, so this is a big treat for me. I went all out, thank you anti-histamines.
(My mother is shaking her head, don’t look.)
I do NOT make pineapple upside-down cake from scratch. Initially, I made queries into recipes, but they either used oil instead of butter or they used water instead of juice and some of them didn’t even have baking powder in them, which left me all skeptical about the spongy tastiness of said recipes. (When you cook and bake a lot, you get this sorta feel for how things should be, and when it’s not as you feel it should be, you get turned off.)
Hence, my reliable friend Betty Crocker.
This is my husband’s favorite cake. To him, it’s yellow cake. He likes it with chocolate icing. To me, it’s butter cake and a bitch to frost, scratch even worse. To my nephew, it’s plain cake. Plain cake, mmhm. We don’t know why. Sometime in his adolescence I asked him what his favorite cake was and he said, “Plain cake.”
“I’d thought carrot. What the hell is plain cake?”
“I don’t know. It’s yellow, but not lemon.”
“Okay.”
You’ll notice Betty Crocker calls it Butter Yellow. Simon would call it Plain Butter Yellow, I suppose.
You know I don’t do recipes, but I do directions now and again. Cream butter, add eggs, replace water with pineapple juice, add vanilla, pour in crap bag.
The joy of pineapple upside down cake is the topping, which starts on the bottom.
Melting butter in a cast iron skillet, covering with brown sugar, arranging pineapples and cherries. People get into this, and artfully, I might add. I’ve seen several Pinterest-worthy arrangements. I’ve even seen different fruits. I wouldn’t think one could go wrong, but people are astounding and have proven me wrong, which is why I don’t post recipes.
But I sure do post photos.
Were I taking this somewhere, I’d cover the bottom and make a glaze, but for me, this was —
Well, it’s gone now.
Just Jot It January is brought to you by LindaGHill
joeyfullystated 
If I ate carbs, I’d crave your cake. Looks gorgeous.
I’m eating an Atkins bar before my nap because you made me hungry.
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LOL Sorry 😛 And thanks!
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My problem, not yours – I put on weight, and crave more carbs, if I eat much. Giving up sugar is a small price to pay for not being hungry continuously, and maintaining weight with a constant battle.
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I sure like pineapple upside down cake. I don’t know why I never make it. Yours looks so good, too! I used to make a sugar free one from scratch and it turned out really good, actually. Lost the recipe though. If I make a cake it’s usually from a box, chocolate w/ chocolate icing. That’s the Mr.’s favorite. My favorite is an orange cake, all soaked in orange juice & sugar. 🙂
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Thanks!
A good orange cake is yummy! I do mine in a bundt. Ever do chocolate orange? Oh yum. Sadly, my family are not fans of either.
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Yes, in a bundt or angle food cake pan is what I use. I always requested that kind for my birthday! With just the 2 of us here, we can’t usually eat a whole big cake, but sometimes I make one anyway. I haven’t done any chocolate orange, but those tastes go together really good. 🙂
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Oh see! If you were here, I’d bake us one 😀
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Oooo! Chocolate orange sounds AMAZING!
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It is! I send you recipe?! 😛
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Looks GREAT! I love plain cake. Pineapple too!
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😀 Thanks!
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I’ve never made pineapple upside down cake–yours is beautiful! I do make cranberry upside down cake. From scratch. I am anti-crap, too. WHT is all that stuff in the bag?! My favorite cake is plain cake–Pound Cake! Oh, yum!!
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Thanks! I dunno what’s in the bag, but I know I don’t neeeed it. Tsk.
I’m hopeful someone who really cooks and bakes a lot has a scratch recipe to send me, somethin that won’t make me skeptical. A cranberry upside down cake would be tasty, too. Lots of new cranberry dishes came to my attention this last holiday season. Someone’s jello and another’s cran jelly with peanut butter… I’m INTRIGUED.
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https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pineapple-upside-down-cake-recipe
Joey–I’ve not made this before, but I swear by King Arthur. It is the only flour I use. And their recipes are spot-on and delicious.
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I like King Arthur, too, especially for bread. This recipe looks like a winner to me, because it’s very close to my butter cake recipe as well. I bookmarked it. I will try this (but I don’t make these often.) Thank you!
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I’m big-time anti-crap too. Most of the time I cook or bake from scratch but sometimes exceptions must be made 😉
Have never tasted let alone tried making pineapple upside down cake. It sure looks good though
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Haha, thanks! You know what another one of my other big exceptions is? Uncle Ben’s long grain and wild rice. Oh my word, I love that stuff! I only make it a few times a year and when I do, I overeat it 😛
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Ad “low-crap diet.” I love that. I’ve given up a lot of crap – all of the bad additives, fillers, corn syrup junk and most processed foods. I still cheat, but I don’t eat half the crap I used to.
As for the upside down cake, it brought back memories. My mom was not much of a cake lover, but she make an exception for pineapple upside down cake. I made sure that was dessert when she visited for holidays and special occasions. Your cake looked yummy and glad you were able to cheat and enjoy.
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Corn syrup and I still battle, because oh soda, Mary. Oh soda. 😦 😀 😛 I can’t get off it. I can go days and days, but then it’s clear I’m still an addict!
Props to you on your dietary choices.
Thanks so much for making the nice connection to your mom.
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Looks absolutely delicious, and I love your ‘low crap diet’ – perfect. 🙂
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Thanks, Judy 🙂
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I really liked: “I’m on a low-crap diet” – the Mrs. fights against crap a lot she doesn’t bake much anymore, because it’s just the two of us, but she almost always made from scratch. Your cake looks delicious.
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Thanks 🙂
Yeah, I can see that. I still take some things to other people, or send it off with them, and I can see there’d be a lot more of that with just us two.
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I’m not a pineapple fan, but this looks tasty to even me. Yum.
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Yep, yellow cake with chocolate frosting is my husband’s favorite. Pineapple upside down is a close second. Mine? Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Yours looks yummy!
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I like pineapple upside down cake, although I’m not a fan of the cherries. I’m also a big anti-crap fan and enjoy baking and eating the results.
janet
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That looks so good. That’s another dessert I never make since I’d be the only one to eat it. All the crap is definitely worth it in this case.
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It really is quite a treat!
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Oh I think I made Pineapple Upside Down Cake at school!
Looks great!
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You’re the second to say that! I’m not sure we even baked cakes in school.
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Lol! We did loads of baking and cooking at school!
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I could use a Pineapple Upside Down cake this morning. Fun post. Thank you.
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Thanks!
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I’m anti-crap, but still end up using it sometimes. This cake looks tasty! I’m sure I’d eat way too much. 🙂
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It’s like that. Cake-ful 😛
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Looks like breakfast to me.
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😀
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Lovely cake. Pineapple upside down has always been one of my favorite cakes. I think it is all because of the gooey sugar and browned pineapple on the top ( bottom). I use a 13 x 9 pan. Never got into the habit of round pans unless it is for layer cakes. I always use the juice from the pineapple, why waste it?
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Right? My thoughts exactly! Thank you for your support. I couldn’t believe anyone would use water, when the juice is RIGHT THERE!
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I used to make Alton Brown’s upside-down cake recipe. I love him. He’s amazing. For the life of me now, however, I can’t remember much about the recipe other than the butter, the iron skillet, the cherries, and the pineapple. And it was good.
And now I’m depressed because I’m on a stupid clean-eating thing and I can have zero cake at all.
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Oh sadness. But yay health!
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When I bake (which isn’t often anymore 😕), it’s from scratch. If I’m going to invest in the calories, I want the GOOD stuff, which can’t be had from a box. It’s not so much that I’m anti-crap (because I eat more than my fair share of crap), it’s just that when I have a piece of cake, pie, etc, I want it to taste awesome, like I’m just eaten something truly satisfying.
Upside-down Pineapple Cake has never been on my radar. It could be the lack of icing, or maybe the cooked pineapple thing. Now, if they were peaches ….
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I understand, and I support your decision. Lois has turned my head to a King Arthur recipe that looks really close to my butter cake, so I’m going to try it. Of course, it’ll probably be a year from now.
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I know what you mean about trying to find a good recipe for a “plain” cake. They are HARD to make.
I took 3 cake decorating courses back to back and each week we had to come prepared with “plain” cake or cupcakes, depending on what we were doing that week. I tried SO many different recipes and was never wow’ed by any of them. I hope you have better luck with your King Arthur recipe.
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I have not had pineapple upside-down cake for ages. I remember making it once for Home Economics at school. It didn’t look as gorgeous as yours does Joey and did not have cherries either, but it tasted delicious! I have Pinned yours to look at!!!
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Oh my goodness, thanks so much! 😀
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My pleasure, Joey 🙂
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I like pineapple upside down cake too (from a box), but my favorite is cheesecake. I started skipping making the crusts. Just as good and much easier to make now. 🙂
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