Let Them Eat Cake

Here is my recipe for Dutch oven pineapple upside down cake:

Ingredients:

1 can of pineapple rings
1 jar Maraschino cherries
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

The last 3 ingredients may vary based on the instructions on your cake mix box. 


Place the pineapple rings and Maraschino cherries on the bottom of the Dutch oven as shown.


In a bowl, mix up the cake mix per the package instructions and pour the batter over the fruit.  Bake in the Dutch oven at 350 degrees for about 45 min.  For a standard 12" cast iron Dutch oven, that requires 8 charcoal briquets on the bottom and 17 on the top.  Since heat rises, you need less on the bottom than on the top.  Use a toothpick to check your cake when it's down.  The toothpick should come out clean.  If there is cake batter stuck on the toothpick, it's ready yet.

I just burned some hardwood logs and shoveled some coals under and on top of my Dutch oven and let it sit for an hour.  The nice thing about recipes with fruit on the bottom is that they are unlikely to burn if you cook them a little too long. 


Usually with an upside down cake, you put a plate over your cake pan and turn the whole thing upside down.  This is not feasible or safe with a heavy hot Dutch oven.  Just cut the cake into 8 wedges.  The first wedge that you pull out will get a little mangled.  The others should pull out neatly with a spatula and you can flip them over onto a plate or bowl. 








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