Tiki Style Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This super easy recipe is a tweak on the classic upside down cake. I wanted to make a cake that was basically a cake version of a tiki cocktail. Something sweet and tropical to whisk me away mentally to somewhere sunny. I cheat using a boxed vanilla cake for this recipe for convenience purposes (also I just really love boxed cake mixes!) but the upside down topping is where the real magic is. Rum, the magic ingredient is rum.

I used this rum because of the vanilla undertones but any rum will work.

Serves 10 Prep 15mins Cook about 45mins

Ingredients:

1/4 c. (30g) pecans, chopped

1/4 c. (55g) unsalted butter

1/2 c. (100g) brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1 shot rum

1 1/2 c. (250g) fresh pineapple, cut into bite size pieces

1 box Betty Crocker vanilla cake mix

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Instructions

1/ Heat a 10” cast iron skillet on medium and toast pecans for 1 minute. Add the butter and stir till melted. Add the brown sugar and spices till well combined. Stir in the rum and pineapple pieces and cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. (if not using a cast iron skillet, transfer mix to a greased 10” cake pan.

2/ Heat oven to 350f (180c) or 325f (160c) for fan assisted ovens. Mix vanilla cake mix as per package instructions and set aside. Spread the pineapple mix evenly in the bottom of the cast iron skillet and pour the cake batter over it. Bake for 30 minutes and check that the middle bounces back when pressed lightly. If it doesn’t, bake a further 5-10 minutes.

3/ Remove from oven and let cool in the skillet. Once cool, use a plate pressed to the bottom and flip the skillet upside down to release the cake. Serve with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!