Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I love pineapple upside down cake--especially warm from the oven with a scoop of french vanilla ice-cream. I started baking when I was 8 years old. I would make cookies most of the time but once in a while I made cakes, I remember making pineapple upside down cake a lot. I also liked to experiment with candies and other recipes, but cakes and cookies were what I baked most. My family loved my desserts--but unfortunately my mother did not like the mess I would make in the kitchen. At that young age I would cook but not clean up after myself. I guess I wanted to go back to my child hood with this recipe.... Loved it! This recipe is easy to make a 1/2 recipe of. I like to measure out cake mixes and then just use half. I pour the rest back in the bag and put in the box to store. I baked in a 8 inch round. Just right for me and my hubby with enough to share with my parents. Enjoy!

Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

Topping: 

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple slices, in natural juice

Maraschino cherries, halved and drained or frozen raspberries (I don't like cherries)

Cake:

1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Yellow cake mix

1 package (4- serving size) vanilla instant pudding

4 eggs

1 cup water or drained pineapple juice

1/2 cup oil

Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For cake: 

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and oil in large mixing bowl.

Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Set aside.

Then, for topping: melt butter in 13"x9"x2" pan in oven. Remove from oven.

Stir in brown sugar. Spread to cover bottom of pan.

Arrange pineapple slices, maraschino cherries-or raspberries (place upside down in center of pineapple slices)  in pan.

Pour batter evenly over fruit in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Invert onto serving platter.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream YUM!

The sooner you invert the cake onto a serving plate, the less the pineapple slices will stick to the bottom of the pan.