My Grandmother's Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My favorite Uncle's birthday was this past week. I offered to make his birthday cake. I will be honest, this was a bit of a selfish act, because I just wanted an excuse to use my new cake stand. I planned on making a chocolate chocolate chocolate cake for him which he would have loved, but my Aunt called and told me that he had said his favorite cake was the pineapple upside down cake his mom made him. 

I have never made a pineapple upside down cake, but I immediately looked up some recipes. I was at a loss. They were all different with one thing in common: you turn them upside down at some point. I knew he didn't just want ANY pineapple upside down cake. He wanted his mom's. 

I took a chance and called my dad for anything he remembered about it. Holy moly! He remembered EXACTLY how she made it. The main ingredient was a cast-iron skillet. Thank you Value Village...I'm just saying that buying a brand new one was not an option. They are pricey and not "seasoned" when they're new. Anyway, I found one and grabbed the other ingredients (boxed yellow cake, brown sugar, butter, canned pineapple rings, and jarred cherries) from the store. 

  I told my dad, "We'll see if I have grandma's pineapple upside down cake in me." He was pretty confident I did. It's not like I hate cooking or anything and boxed cake mix is not rocket science. The selfish act of wanting to use my cake stand turned into wanting to make my uncle something from his childhood. Something his mom made with love. A lot of it.

 1. melt butter (3/4 stick) on stove top

2. stir in brown sugar (3/4 cup) for about 4 minutes. remove from heat.

 3. place pineapples & cherries.

4. pour in cake mix (make according to box, but replace water with pineapple juice)

5. bake at 350 degrees until cooked through (about 45 minutes)

6. let stand 5 minutes before turning upside down onto plate

The vintage look of it doesn't hurt my like of it.

 Happy 62nd Uncle Tim!

 Yum, Yum, Yum

I love you!

The whole process was the coolest. I just kept thinking about how I was doing something my grandma used to do. I was carrying on her legacy (if I succeeded and it was edible). I don't remember much of my grandma, but when I think of her it is with admiration and love. She HAD to have had the biggest heart ever! I lived with her for a few years of my young life. I remember eating raw onions when she made chili, dressing up her cat Samantha in doll clothes and her telling me I was the only one Sam liked, watching Murder She Wrote with her, dusting the cabinet that held her beloved Scarlett (from Gone with the Wind) porcelain doll, her hair in curlers, playing war countless times, and her buying me the heart covered bedspread I wanted so bad (sheets & canopy cover included. Yep, I was the lucky little girl with a canopy bed). She loved me and her hugs and smiles said it.

This recipe is something I can add to my few memories. It is something I can pass down.

It was so much better than making chocolate cake AND my uncle said it was perfect.

Who knew making a cake could be so profound and thought provoking. 

Thank you grandma for your pineapple upside down cake.