Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Makes 1 - 8 inch round or 1 - 9 inch square

Ingredients
1 pineapple, cored and sliced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 - 14-ounce jar maraschino cherries
1 box yellow cake mix, prepared according to instructions on box
6 whole pecans, optional

Directions
– Remove outside of pineapple; cut pineapple into thirds. Core the pineapple, then slice the pineapple on its side to make 1/2-inch slices.

– Preheat oven to 375° degrees. Place butter in the pan and melt in the oven while preheating. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle brown sugar over melted butter. Arrange whole pineapple slices over the brown sugar in the pan. Place cherries into the centers of the pineapple slices. Cut remaining pineapple slices into half circles, then line the sides of the pan with them (standing up). Optional: add whole pecans on bottom.

– Prepare a box of yellow cake mix (following instructions on box) through the "mix the batter step". Carefully pour cake batter into the pan without moving the pineapples and cherries, 3/4 full (do not fill pan all the way to the top). Save remaining batter for later use or discard. Do not bake the cake mix in different pans than the ones set up with the pineapples!

– Bake at 375° degrees for 30 - 35 minutes, or until cake is a warm golden color and has slightly pulled away from the edges of the pan. Remove from oven; allow to stand for five minutes to set. Turn upside-down onto serving dish and serve while still warm.

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