Cranberry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This Cranberry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is SO EASY.  No one will ever know it’s made with a doctored-up boxed cake mix!  

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I’m all about delicious recipes with minimal effort.  This is one of those recipes!

This cake has the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors, and is a MUST for your holiday dessert table.

How to make Cranberry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

You’ll need to start with a brown sugar and butter mixture in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan.  Place canned pineapple slices over the brown sugar mixture.  I cut 2 of the slices in half so the pineapple would be more evenly distributed.  Place 2-3 cranberries (fresh or frozen) in the middle of each pineapple slice and place the remaining cranberries around the slices.

Then you’ll take advantage of a boxed cake mix.  Trust me on this.

By adding a little cinnamon, nutmeg, instant vanilla pudding, sour cream, pineapple juice and vanilla extract to the mix, it results in a phenomenally moist and spongy cake.

Top it with whipped cream and a mint sprig to make it extra-festive!

Enjoy!  

Cranberry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

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• Author: Amy @ The Blond Cook
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 12 slices 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
Scale 1x2x3x

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Description

This sweet and tart Cranberry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is so EASY to make – No one will ever know it’s made from a doctored-up box cake mix!

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple slices, drained *RESERVE 1/2 CUP PINEAPPLE JUICE FOR CAKE*
• 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 (15.25-ounce) box pineapple supreme cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice reserved from can
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Liberally spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.
2. Pour melted butter in the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter.
3. Arrange pineapple slices on top of brown sugar.  Place 2-3 cranberries in the middle of each pineapple slice and around pineapple slices.

Prepare the batter:  

1. Beat together cake mix, pudding mix, nutmeg, cinnamon, eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, pineapple juice and vanilla extract in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed (or with a stand mixer using the paddle attachment).  Beat until smooth, about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.
2. Pour batter over pineapple slices and cranberries and spread evenly.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is removed clean.
4. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes and invert onto a serving platter.