How to bake a skillet pineapple upside down cake

Gather your ingredients as listed in Supplies. (Daffodils optional, but they add cheer on a cloudy day.)

These ingredients are needed for the skillet portion. Set aside and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Preparing the cake mix...

This recipe uses 1/3 of the boxed cake mix. Measure the dry mix by weight into three containers saving 2 containers for another day.

According to this box, I need 1 egg (instead of the 3 per the full recipe), water, and oil.

Lightly beat the egg.

Add the water (1/3 of the original amount) and oil (again, 1/3 of the original). *I used melted coconut oil instead and added it after the dry mix (next).

Add the dry mix and coconut flakes per your liking (optional). I added about 1/4 c. *This is when I added the melted coconut oil. Mix well and set aside.

Drain the pineapple slices saving the juice for later. ;)

In your skillet, melt 1 T butter and 2-3 T brown sugar.

Add 1/2 oz dark rum (optional). If not using rum, increase the butter to 2 T.

Stir well. Turn off the heat when the sugar melts and bubbles form.

Layer pineapple slices. *If you like cherries, add those to the center of each slice. If so inclined, sprinkle a bit more coconut flakes.

If your cake batter is thick, carefully spoon it on top of the pineapple/sugar/butter/rum goodness. Gently spread to the edges. Wipe or brush butter or oil along the sides of the skillet.

Place skillet in the oven, and set your timer for 15 minutes.

Wash the dishes, and then enjoy your "juice" while the cake bakes.

At 15 min., check your cake for doneness. You may need to add 1 or 2 min. depending on your pan & oven. My toothpick was clean at 15 min.

Oh, the bubbly goodness!

Let your cake cool for at least 15 min. My cast iron pan retains heat, so I placed it over a rack and in a cool place.

Using a non-metal utensil, gently loosen the edges.

Prepare your platter and oven mitts for the big flip.

Flipped! I found my dried cherries and added those at the end.

Enjoy! (...and thanks again to Snapguide for the contest prize. I'm really enjoying my Le Creuset set from Crate & Barrel!)