The Cookbook Club: Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Joanne Tracey over at Brookford Kitchen Diaries has started up a monthly cookbook club and the rules such as they are are loose enough that it's easy to follow along and participate. This month we were asked to find a cookbook published in our own country.


I grew up reading Better Home and Garden magazines and trying so many of their recipes so when I saw that I would need a United States cookbook, I immediately thought of the first cookbook I ever bought for my own kitchen; this Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I can assure you that it is no longer new. We have tried so many of the recipes in this book but for today's post I wanted something new.  


My birthday was last month and I asked Alec to make me a pineapple upside down cake. We did modify the recipe a bit as the original called for pecans (I don't like nuts in most desserts) and pineapple tidbits but I wanted those perfect pineapple circles!  



I'm not sure I have ever made a recipe from any cookbook that didn't have a photo of the finished dish; have you? I'm a very visual person and I love knowing what I should expect the dish to look like in the end. I also don't read cookbooks from cover to cover so if a picture doesn't capture my attention I probably am not looking closer at any recipe to read it. Are you like that?

One thing I love about this book is the 3 ring binder format that allows it to lay flat and stay open while you work.  

Alec, being a true culinary student, is a firm believer in measuring out your ingredients first and assembling everything one step at a time.  

First he mixed the dry ingredients in the bowl and together we decided to add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the recipe. 

While mixing the cake batter he put the cake pan in the oven with some butter to melt. 

He added the wet ingredients to the dry in the mixing bowl and turned the mixer on low for a few minutes. 


Meanwhile once the butter was melted he added the brown sugar to make the glaze and lined the bottom of the pan with the pineapple slices. 
 




We served the cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was good but both Alec and I agreed that it was rather dense and would be better with a fluffier/traditional cake layer. 


 Linking up with:


 

 

Comments

  1. HollyAugust 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM

    Looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kathrine EldridgeAugust 13, 2025 at 7:05 AM

    This cake looks incredible! So perfect for a summer dessert!

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Melynda@Scratch Made Food!August 13, 2025 at 7:05 AM

    I believe this dessert to be an all time favorite for most families. Having a can of pineapple in the pantry was always insurance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 13, 2025 at 9:24 AM

      No one else in my family had ever had pineapple upside down cake before!

      Delete
  4. Amy ScottAugust 13, 2025 at 7:37 AM

    Wow! That looks so good and so much better with rounds. I don't like nuts at all so I approve of that choice! This reminds me of my dad as he loved this cake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 13, 2025 at 9:25 AM

      I weirdly do like most nuts but I really do not like them in any baked goods.

      Delete
  5. Doused in Pink | Chicago Style BlogAugust 13, 2025 at 7:43 AM

    This looks and sounds absolutely delicious! I might need to make it for a get together this weekend!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

    ReplyDelete
  6. Maria RineerAugust 13, 2025 at 7:56 AM

    My husband loves pineapple upside down cake. I'm sure he'd love this! The three ring binder is a neat feature for a cook book. My mom had a BH&G cookbook. I don't know what happened to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 13, 2025 at 9:27 AM

      I'm pleasantly surprised with how well the 3 rings have held up too and I love a book that lies flat while I'm trying to reference it.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousAugust 13, 2025 at 8:07 AM

    Yum. I love pineapple upside down cake, we stick glacé cherries in the pineapple holes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 13, 2025 at 9:27 AM

      I don't like cherries but Alec and I both were saying that the pop of color would have been so nice!

      Delete
  8. Kim CarberryAugust 13, 2025 at 8:32 AM

    I love the look of that cookbook and what a delicious looking cake!

    ReplyDelete
  9. LyshaAugust 13, 2025 at 12:07 PM

    I have never made pineapple upside down cake. I think I've had a bite of one. This sounds so good though. Might need to try making one next time I need to bring something for a potluck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 13, 2025 at 2:15 PM

      We wanted to try making them in muffin tins next time to see about making them individual sized since we all liked the outer edges of the cake much more than the middle.

      Delete
  10. Lindsay's Sweet WorldAugust 13, 2025 at 12:41 PM

    Oh my word, this looks delicious! That's too bad that it didn't turn out exactly how you expected, though. I've never tried to make a pineapple upside down cake, but I do think my kids would like it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 13, 2025 at 2:17 PM

      Mine did; even the ones that don't like pineapple thought it was pretty good.

      Delete
  11. Jodie's Touch of StyleAugust 13, 2025 at 12:48 PM

    I don't count on the photos because I know they can be photoshopped. But humans are visual creatures, so I get it.
    I wonder if the pieces of pineapple and nuts would have incorporated more air into it?? It was beautiful for sure.
    XOOX
    Jodie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne August 13, 2025 at 2:18 PM

      I doubt it since you don't mix the pecans or pineapple pieces; we knew it wasn't going to be like a cake when we didn't have to cream together the butter and the sugar. That's pretty standard in anything you want to be light and airy.

      Delete
  12. FitFoodieMeghaAugust 13, 2025 at 2:12 PM

    How pretty is that cake!! Loved the step by step in-action photos. I have never tried making a Pineapple Upside down cake. Yours looks tempting! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Kari August 13, 2025 at 3:08 PM

    Pineapple upside down cake is one of my favorites! That looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tanya August 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM

    This looks delicious, and I am a big fan of the BHG cookbook. It is what I still look to for the basics. I agree about seeing a photo of the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lydia C. LeeAugust 13, 2025 at 5:05 PM

    I'd switch for peaches but otherwise, yum! #WWWhimsy

    ReplyDelete
  16. Min - Write of the MiddleAugust 13, 2025 at 5:23 PM

    Hi Joanne, that cake looks delicious! I love the cookbook being in a ring binder and able to lay flat. Also - I love nuts - in anything and everything! I don't think I've ever made a pineapple upside down cake but now I want to! Thanks for linking up with us at #WWWhimsy xo

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jo TraceyAugust 13, 2025 at 7:17 PM

    That cake looks the business, and the binder is a great idea. I'm a reader of cookbooks, so even though I'm a visual person, I can usually imagine how something will look. I am, however, partial to an illustration or two...

    ReplyDelete
  18. MarshaAugust 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM

    I received a Betty Crocker cookbook as a bridal shower gift. It's the one I pull out over and over, and it shows! When I make pineapple upside down cake, I now use either chunks or crushed pineapple because it's so much easier to cut that way. I've never heard of it with nuts, though. Yours looks delicious!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
  19. JudeeAugust 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM

    I used to have a Betty Crocker Cookbook (not sure what happened to it). I love the three ring binder format too. The cake came out beautiful and looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete

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