Ready to take a boring box of cake mix and transform it into a buttery, fruity, vintage treat using items you likely already have in your pantry? Enter: pineapple upside down cake. This delicious dessert features flavors that range from tropical pineapple to rich brown sugar. While traditionally, pineapple upside down cake is made from scratch, there is a modern way to create this delicious dessert that only takes three main staple ingredients: butter, brown sugar, and pineapple — plus a box of yellow cake mix. Before heading to the store to grab any necessary materials, consider Food Republic’s ranking of boxed cake mixes from worst to best to find out which ones are really worth your time, and which should be left on the shelf.
After you have compiled the ingredients, simply melt one stick of butter and combine with one cup of brown sugar before resting the juicy pineapple slices on top to create a caramelized, gooey, delicious crust that will bake to perfection. For even more of that tangy pineapple flavor, don’t forget to reserve the fruit juice at the bottom of the can — you can incorporate this excess moisture into your yellow cake mix by replacing part of the water called for in your recipe with this excess juice. And of course, no pineapple upside cake would be complete without a bright cherry between each center of the fruit slice. Those who are concerned with food dyes might want to skip the maraschino cherries, and opt for a fresh variety of the sweet fruit.
How to customize pineapple upside down cake
As if the tasty, vintage treat alone wasn’t good enough, you can also customize your pineapple upside down cake by incorporating other ingredients into the butter and brown sugar mixture, like chopped pecans. These nuts add a crunchy texture and decadent flavor that complements the sugary base and sweet vanilla cake. For a tropical flair, try sprinkling in some shredded coconut below the pineapple for another layer of zesty, nutty, yet fragrant flavor.
While making a full-size cake is a great treat, you can also mimic the process using a cupcake tin to construct bite-sized mini cakes. To do so, place the melted butter, brown sugar, half a pineapple slice (or use crushed pineapple), and a maraschino cherry into the bottom of each cup. Once those items are layered, top it all off with the vanilla cake batter — be sure to adjust your cook time and temperature accordingly to prevent burning. While baking, the mixture receives the same deliciously caramelized crust as the standard-size cake. As it cools before inverting, allow the sugary bottom to harden a bit before revealing beautifully glazed and coated cupcakes.
Another fun tip — if you have any lingering ingredients like brown sugar, cherries, or pineapple after making the cupcakes, use them to make pineapple upside-down pancakes. All you have to do is sprinkle brown sugar and pineapple in the buttered skillet and swap the yellow cake batter for pancake mix. In no time, you’ll have a unique breakfast, all thanks to the dessert’s leftover components.
