Last week I got a rare night off from cooking AND cleaning! In honor of my birthday, Nick made dinner for me and even did the dishes! Though I usually do most of the cooking (because I love to do it), Nick is actually quite a good cook. It was nice to sit back with a glass of wine and chat on the phone while dinner was prepared for me!

Earlier in the week, Nick had asked me what kind of cake I wanted. I said any kind was fine, but he asked me to pick my favorite. Let’s be serious, I don’t discriminate against cake. So, somewhat jokingly, I told him I wanted a pineapple upside-down cake, not thinking that he would actually attempt one. Look who was wrong!

I was impressed! I don’t think I’d ever actually had a pineapple upside-down cake (besides Cheesecake Factory pineapple upside-down cheesecake, swoon), but it was really yummy.

The cake was quite impressive, but it turns out the recipe is super easy, thanks to a little shortcut known as boxed cake mix!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

(from Betty Crocker)

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple rings in juice, drained, juice reserved
• 1 (6 oz) jar maraschino cherries without stems, drained
• 1 box yellow cake mix
•  Oil and eggs per cake mix box directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter in a 13×9-inch pan, and put in the oven to melt the butter. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

Bake about 45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place a heatproof serving plate upside down on top of the pan and turn the whole thing over. Leave the pan over the cake for 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over the cake. Remove pan and cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Another birthday come and gone. Birthdays aren’t that exciting once you’re past the age of 21. Now I just feel old. But it was a nice day full of birthday wishes and yummy cake! 🙂