All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [129]
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans or almonds
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Add “Ta-Da” to Dump Cake
Vary the dump cake spices by adding nutmeg instead of cinnamon. For a grown-up twist, serve this with rum raisin ice cream.
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 13 by 9–inch glass baking pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
2. Spread the pineapple on the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the pineapple. Dot the cake mix evenly with the butter and sprinkle the cinnamon and the pecans or almonds over it. Place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until it is golden and the fruit begins to bubble around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and scoop the warm cake into bowls along with ice cream or whipped cream.
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to three days or for up to one week in the refrigerator. To reheat it, cover the cake lightly with aluminum foil and place it in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes. The cake does not freeze well.
Recipe Reminders
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PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
serves:
16 to 20
prep:
20 minutes
bake:
43 to 48 minutes
cool:
12 to 17 minutes
CHARLOTTE TWARO, who lives in Garfield Heights, Ohio, sent me this recipe several years back. She said it was her signature cake and that she takes it to family reunions and picnics. It is so good that she seldom comes home with leftovers. Easy to tote regardless of the season, a pineapple upside-down cake is low-maintenance. It doesn’t need refrigeration or reheating. It doesn’t need garnish—the top says it all. And it doesn’t expect a lot of oohing and aahing, but the irony is that this simple but spectacular cake gets it.
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks packed in juice
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1 packed cup light brown sugar
½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 jar (6 ounces) maraschino cherries, drained (see Note)
1 package (18.25 ounces) yellow or vanilla cake mix with pudding
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Open the can of pineapple chunks and pour them into a sieve set over a small bowl to catch the juice. Set aside the pineapple and the juice separately.
3. Place the melted butter and brown sugar in a 13 by 9–inch metal cake pan. Stir them together and spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the chopped pecans or walnuts over the butter and sugar mixture. Then, arrange the reserved pineapple chunks and the maraschino cherries on top.
4. Measure ¾ cup of the reserved pineapple juice and place it and the cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and beat until the batter is smooth, 1½ minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Pour the batter evenly over the pineapple and cherries and place the pan in the oven.
5. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and the top springs back when lightly