Gluten Free Cake: Pineapple Upside Down Recipe

We have just had a downpour this week and enough lightening to last me the rest of the year. Twice our power went out, lost our cable and internet connections and had my sister-in-laws garage flood out twice! And we live in the desert. 

Since the weather has been cooperating, the oven has been turned on and baking began. My guys are always glad to see the pans and mixer and flour, eggs and butter on the counter. They know something warm and yummy will be cooling soon. 

This gluten free cake is a wonderful dessert to make for when you have people over. It tastes great and is easy to make. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/4 cup butter or non-dairy margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
20 oz. can of sliced pineapple, drained (reserve the juice!)
6 oz jar of maraschino cherries
1 box of gluten free yellow cake mix, 15oz size or larger (I used Betty Crocker)
1/3 cup canola oil, or your favorite oil
3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9×13 pan or a 10″ round pan, place the butter in the pan and put in the oven until the butter melts. Remove the oven. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. Place the pineapple rings in the pan and put a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring (see the photo). Press into the butter/sugar mixture. Set aside.

Add enough water to the reserved pineapple juice to equal 2/3 cup. Place the cake mix, pineapple juice mix, oil and eggs together in a large bowl and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Carefully pour the cake mix over the pineapple rings, completely covering them.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the pan size used. Poke the center of the cake when the 30 minutes is up to see if it comes out clean. If it does, the cake is finished baking and needs to be taken out of the oven. If there are still wet crumbs clinging to the toothpick, allow the cake to bake for another 5 minutes and test again.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute! Take a serving plate that is a little bigger than the baking pan and invert the cake on to the plate. Wait another minute before taking the baking pan off the serving plate to allow the brown sugar coating to completely coat the cake.

Remove the baking pan and allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting. Makes about 15 servings.