MyStoriesAndPoems loves delicious desserts just like you!

One of webmaster/author R. Renee Bembry's favorite desserts is Pineapple Upside Down Cake, especially when made from scratch.

Make one yourself using her easy to follow video recipe and instructions.

Kids... Cooking is a skill everyone should undertake and this easy to follow pineapple upside down cake recipe is a good place to start making cakes from scratch.

Ask an adult to either help with your cake making or to make this dessert for you while you watch and learn.

Start with Part I instructions (below) to prepare and bake the cake.

Then watch Part II instructions (below Part I) on how to remove pineapple upside down cake from a pan and prepare delicious servings.

Pineapple upside downs made from scratch bake well in metal baking pans, glass baking dishes, and skillets with heat resistant handles. When using skillets, cast iron skillets usually work best.   Before You Begin... Make sure you have all ingredients and utensils at hand. Nothing like finding out you don't have enough eggs after you begin mixing ingredients; or discovering the pan you plan to bake in sits in the refrigerator filled with leftovers when you get eady to pour batter in it. Ingredients Utensils   2 Cups All Purpose Flour   1 cup Granulated Sugar   1 Cup Brown Sugar   1/2 Tablespoon Baking Powder   1 Teaspoon Salt (optional)   2 Large Eggs, or Three Small Eggs   3/4 Cup Milk   1 Stick Butter or Margarine   1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract    2 Cans *Pineapple Rings   12 Maraschino Cherries 9 x 13 Baking Dish or Large Skillet   Electric Mixer   Large Spoon   Butter or Dinner Knife   Scraping Utensil   Large Mixing Bowl   Cake Transfer Dish with Lid or Foil   Toothpick or Knife   Optional - Small Sauce Pan or   Optional Medium Bowl with Lid for melting Butter or Margarine   Since pineapple upside down cakes are literally served upside down, preparing them means beginning with ingredients that wind up on top once the cakes are flipped. Therefore, start upside cakes by preparing their topping first.   Step 1 - Lubricating baking pan or dish       If choosing to bake the cake in a skillet, melt butter or margarine in the skillet. This can be done over the stove or in the oven. If you melt the lubricant in the oven, be sure to use potholders when removing the pan from the oven. Use the basting brush to lubricate the sides of the pan with some of the melted butter or margarine.   If using a metal or glass baking dish you can either melt butter or margarine in a sauce pan or in a microwavable bowl. In case of the sauce pan, set flame at low setting and reduce to simmer after bubbling begins. Be careful not to let the butter or margarine burn. If using microwave, cover butter or margarine to prevent it from splattering and zap it for about thirty seconds. Zap for a few more seconds if necessary. Once melted completely, pour butter or margarine into baking dish. Remove excess butter or margarine from bowl or pan using the basting brush and lubricate the sides of the pan.   Step 2 - Adding Brown Sugar, Pineapples & Cherries       Sprinkle brown sugar evenly across the butter or margarine. Do not stir - stirring is not required.   After brown sugar is spread, lay pineapples from one side of the pan to the other and from top to bottom of the pan. Also place pineapples against the sides of the pan if you want pineapples along the sides of your cake. In this case, slice pineapples in half and set them against the pan with the cut sides downward.   Remove stems from cherries and while doing so, squeeze cherries between thumb and forefinger to make sure no pits are present. Maraschino cherries are supposed to be pit-less, but sometimes manufacturers miss a pit or two.   Center cherries inside pineapple holes.   Tip for weight watchers - Pineapples canned in their own juice have a lot less calories than pineapples canned in syrup.   Step 3 - Preparing cake batter       Place remaining ingredients in the large bowl and beat them with a mixer for about thirty seconds. Scrape the bowl if necessary after mixing to make sure all ingredients are moistened. Beat a few more seconds if necessary to smooth after scraping bowl.   Step 4 - Pour the Batter       Pour batter over topping (ingredients already in pan). Make sure all cherries and flat pineapples are covered. Batter should rest against but not cover sideways pineapples. Sideward fruit will get covered when cake rises.   Step 5 - Bake the Cake       Place pan or dish with cake mixings in center of oven and bake about fifty-five minutes. If you live in a high altitude, make normal adjustments you would make when baking a cake for this time period and at this temperature.   If you "must" check the cake periodically, try to avoid opening the oven until the end of the cooking period. Using oven the light to help you see through your oven window is recommended over opening the door, especially if you don't want your cake to sink!   Step 6 - Check the Cake       When cooking time has expired, cake should appear golden brown and should sit about even with rim of pan. If you lightly press top center of cake, it should spring back without denting.   Check to see if cake is cooked all the way through by inserting a toothpick or a thin blade knife (steak knife or dinner knife) in center of cake. The toothpick or knife should come out clean. If batter is on utensil, leave cake in oven for about five more minutes and then check it again.   Step 7 - Cool and Flip the Cake       Carefully remove pan of cake from oven using oven mitts and set the cake on a cooling rack for half an hour to forty-five minutes.   After cake has cooled, run back of a knife between edges of cake and pan as an extra precaution to prevent cake from sticking to pan.   Here is where you must invert cake onto serving platter so pineapples become top portion of cake. Hence... "Upside Down Cake".   To invert the cake, or turn it upside down, place platter over pan, using both hands, hold pan and platter together in a squeezing manner. Quickly flip pan and platter so that platter rotates to the bottom and pan flips to the upper end.   Set dish on counter and slowly remove pan from cake.   Step 8 - Cover the Cake tillready for Serving       Place serving dish cover around cake or cover it loosely with foil or plastic wrap until you are ready to serve it.   The amount of servings one cake makes depends on how big or small the portions are sliced.   Pineapple upside down tastes delicious served warm or cool and goes great with favorite ice-creams.   So now for the very best part... Enjoy!

Learn more about pineapple dessert recipes and facts about pineapples at R. Renee' Bembry's Pineapple Zone located at Helium.com by clicking HERE.

    Parents, teachers, care-givers... Learning to cook cakes from scratch gives children the opportunity to work on and master measuring skills.

Measuring flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, margarine, butter, oils, and so forth teaches children about fractions.

When making this pineapple upside down cake with children, it is a great idea to allow older kids to measure ingredients or at least to watch and discuss the process. Of course the hands-on approach grants more in the area of gaining experience. Still, either method provides precious learning and priceless adult-child time together. 

Pineapple Poem

By R. Renée Bembry

Pineapple - pineapple

 

Not quite a pine

Certainly not an apple

Makes you wanna grapple

Why it's called pineapple

Pineapple – pineapple

Different from crab apple

Could come in drinks like Snapple

But what is this pineapple?

Hard pokey covered outsides

Golden brown and green

Soft yellow juicy insides

Filled with sweetened rings

When peeled and sliced

They look so nice

And tastes like heaven’s dream

I like to eat them by themselves

With cake and with ice cream 

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Part I

 

Yummi-Land Ice-Cream Pop Girls

 

Happy Birthday Barbies with Tiaras for Birthday Girls 

 

Continue slide show after placing cake in oven.

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Part II