Meema's Pineapple Upside Down Cake

At my grandmother’s house this past Saturday she was telling us how popular pineapple upside down cake was when she was younger. If they were expecting company she would always bake one and everyone was always so impressed. In those days she said it was considered quite the fancy dessert and people felt very special to have one made for them. According to her no one bakes these anymore so she has taken it upon herself to reintroduce pineapple upside down cake to the family and we’re mighty glad she did, absolutely delicious and pretty too.

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup cake flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 can pineapple slices in syrup

maraschino cherries

Use an 8" square or round pan. Drain can of pineapple, saving the syrup. Place butter in 8" pan, melt in the oven while preheating to 375°F.

Sprinkle brown sugar over melted butter. Arrange whole pineapple slices and cherries (with cherries in centers of pineapple slices) over the brown sugar in pan. Cut some of the remaining pineapple slices into half circles, and then line the sides of the pan with them (standing up).

In a bowl, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, softened butter, milk, egg, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the pineapple syrup.

Pour batter into the pan being careful not to disturb the pineapples and cherries. Bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake is golden and has pulled away from the edges slightly.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes to set and then turn it upside down onto a serving dish. Serve while still warm.

A little Bit of Blue to Brighten Your Day

I’m a really big fan of blueberries and this recipe is just another easy and delicious way to use this amazing fruit. This is great sliced and toasted with a little or a lot of butter.

Blueberry Loaf Cake

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, separated

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pint blueberries

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the beaten egg yolk. Add the milk, alternating with the sifted flour and baking powder. Stir in the vanilla.

Last, gently fold in the whites beaten to a stiff froth.

Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan in a preheated 375°F oven until cake tests done (about 35 to 45 minutes).
Remove cake from pan by running a knife along edges. Spread a little butter over the top of the cake while it is still warm, and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Pretty in Pink

With all the picnics and family gatherings lately I have noticed more and more, that the majority of stand out dishes being passed around have either Jell-O or Bisquick somewhere in there list of ingredients. It makes you wonder how we ever lived without these products.

I haven’t had a Jell-O or Bisquick recipes yet that I have not enjoyed.
This cake is no exception; it is just bursting with the taste of strawberries. Surprisingly as far as cakes go, this one is not overly sweet; as a matter of fact it actually tastes just like fresh strawberries.
You can’t beat the color; this would be a great birthday cake for that little girl in your life who loves everything pink.

Strawberry Jell-O Cake

1 pkg. white cake mix

1 box strawberry Jell-O

3/4 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup frozen strawberries, thawed

3 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

Add flour, eggs, Jell-O, water and oil to cake mix and beat 2 minutes at medium speed with mixer. Add strawberries and beat 1 minute until smooth. Bake according to cake mix instructions.

ICING:
1 stick butter, softened

1/4 tsp. salt

1 box powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup frozen strawberries, thawed

Cream butter until smooth. Add sugar, salt and berries as needed. Beat well. Spread on cake. Garnish with fresh berries when serving.

Jell-O "Poke" Cake

We were at my Aunts for dinner the other night and we were reminiscing about the different kinds of birthday cakes she use to make. One that she made often was a white cake with stripes of lemon and lime Jell-O running through it with cool whip on the top. We loved it, so we looked to see if we could find the recipe and this is what we found.

Jell-O “Poke” Cake

1 box. Yellow or white cake mix

(use two cake mixes and two different kinds of Jell-O to get the layered cake effect)

1 (3 oz.) box Jell-O (any flavor or color you choose)

1 (8 oz.) carton Cool Whip

9 x 13 baking dish

Optional flavor combination: lemon cake mix - orange or lemon Jell-O (I guess you can pretty much use any cake mix and Jello flavor that you like).
Bake cake according to package directions. While cake is cooling in its pan, poke holes all over with handle of a small wooden spoon or a fork would do just fine. Mix Jell-O according to package directions. Drizzle Jel-O liquid over cake. Make sure Jell-O penetrates all holes. Chill several hours or overnight, frost chilled cake with whipped topping and serve.

Photo/Rachel/Flickr