Today is National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day!

Did you know that today is National Pineapple Upside-down Cake Day? Pineapples are a tropical plant and fruit native to South America. In 1903, Jim Dole began canning this edible bromeliad. Although recipes for the pineapple upside down cake date back to the 1920's, the Dole company is credited for popularizing the cake in the 1940's. Traditionally made on top of the stove in a cast-iron skillet, these cakes used fruits like cherries and apples before the pineapple version was introduced.

In honor of this special day, I asked my friend, Mike Amoroso, to share his crowd-pleasing recipe with all of you. Mike is a San Francisco native and 10-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department. When he is not baking scrumptious treats like this, Mike enjoys cycling and spending time with his wife and two children.

Mike's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Topping:
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 T to 1/4 cup of light rum, to taste
1 can sliced pineapple, drained (reserve liquid for the cake)
chopped walnuts (optional)

Cake:
1 package of Butter Recipe Golden or Yellow Cake Mix
1 stick of butter, melted
3 large eggs
reserved pineapple juice
whole milk, as needed to bring total amount of liquid to 2/3 cup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 10" cast iron skillet, melt 1/3 cup butter in the oven. Remove skillet and with a fork, stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and rum. Smash the lumps until smooth and spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the skillet. Arrange the pineapple slices so that one is in the center of the skillet and the rest are around the edges. Optional: Place walnuts in the center of the pineapple slices.

Put the cake mix into an electric mixer. Follow the instructions on the package to make the cake including butter and eggs, but substitute the water that the recipe calls for with the reserved juice from the canned pineapple. If needed, add whole milk to equal 2/3 cup total liquid. Be sure to stir the juice into the cake mix separately from the milk to avoid curdling. Blend on low speed for one minute, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat at medium speed for two minutes, then scrape again. The batter should be creamy and smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet on top of the pineapple slices. Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula and put the skillet in the oven.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Remove the skillet and run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake. Carefully invert the skillet onto a large heatproof serving platter. The cake should release freely onto the plate. If not, run the knife around the edge again and let the skillet rest on the plate until the cake releases. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!