Ingredients

Topping

• ¼ cup salted butter, melted
• ½ cup brown sugar light or dark, tightly packed (preferably light)
• 10 pineapple slices patted dry (20oz can is typically enough)
• maraschino cherries

Vanilla Cake

• ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup whole milk, room temperature preferred

Procedure

Prepare Pie Dish

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Pour melted butter into 9.5-10″ pie dish or deep cake pan, make sure it entirely covers the bottom of the pan and use a spoon or spatula to grease the sides of the pan.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter mixture.
4. Arrange pineapple slices over the bottom of the pan, slice leftover slices in half and arrange up the sides of the pan.
5. Place cherries in center of pineapple rings and as desired in empty spaces.  Set aside.

Prepare Cake

1. To prepare vanilla cake, beat butter and sugar in medium-sized bowl until creamy and well-combined.
2. Add eggs, beating one at a time until combined.
3. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Alternate adding flour and milk to the wet ingredients using a spatula to avoid over mixing. Start and end with flour and mixing until just combined after each addition.
6. Pour batter evenly over prepared cake pan over the pineapple/cherry layer.  

Bake

1. Bake on 350F for 30 minutes.  At the 30 minute mark, loosely cover with foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with few crumbs (total cook time for cake will be 45 minutes).
2. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and then carefully invert cake onto serving platter (careful, it will still be very hot!).
3. Allow to cool before cutting and enjoying. Best served warm from the oven.

www.sugarspunrun.com