Pineapple Upside Down Coconut Cake #BundtBakers

One of my fondest culinary memories was pre-children. My husband and I spent many a night working through a new and exciting recipe. One weekend we set out to perfect homemade pasta and another night we worked on recreating a favorite restaurant dish.

One night I decided to try out a pineapple upside down cake in our new, beloved cast iron skillet.

Luckily, with no children around, we never quite made it past the cake. We dug right into the warm cake and ate our fill. We still talk about that cake.

Oddly enough, it has been years since I decided to make another one. Maybe in the back of my mind I have been worried that we won't want to eat a "real" dinner. What kind of an example would that set for our three kids?

I was very excited to see that March's Bundt Baker's theme was "Tropical Vacation". Hosted by Christiane, The Mom Chef: Taking on Magazines, with a nod to all those amazing flavors that take us away to warmer climates and tiny umbrellas.

I knew right away what I wanted to make. It just had to be a Pineapple Upside Down Cake! But, why go for the obvious right? I have developed a little obsession with creamy moist coconut cakes, and I thought the coconut and pineapple flavors are surely my favorite tropical treats. So I combined them this month for Pineapple Upside Down Coconut Cake.

Ready to dig right in? If you make this and then decide to skip dinner... I promise not to tell.

Pineapple Upside Down Coconut Cake

You Will Need:

• 6 pineapple rings
• 6+ maraschino cherries
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
•  1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs + 2 yolks
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. coconut extract
• 1 1/3 c. unsweetened coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sugar till dissolved. Set aside.

Generously grease a classic bundt pan. place the pineapple rings in the bottom, with a cherry in the middle of each ring. Add a few more cherries, if you like. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the top and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and 2 1/2 cups sugar together for 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and then add the eggs, one at a time, till well mixed. Then mix in the coconut and vanilla extracts.

Add the flour mixture and coconut milk to the bowl, alternating between the two, ending with the flour. Do not overmix, mix just until combined.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and smooth down the top.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate. Be sure to drizzle any remaining caramel back onto the cake top!

Enjoy warm or cool.

Now don't forget to check out all the other amazing Tropical Vacation inspired bundt recipes below:

• Banana Coconut Pineapple Bundt by Food Lust People Love
• Banana Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes by I Love Bundt Cakes
• Banana Rum Cake by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Bounty Bundt Cake by Baking in Pyjamas
• Bundt Cake Tropical by La mejor manera de hacer …
• Chocolate Coconut Tres Leche Bundt Cake by The Whisking Bowl
• Drømmekage (Danish Dream Cake) Bundt Cake by Brooklyn Homemaker
• Golden Tropical Coconut Bundt Cake by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Key Lime Bundt Cake by Taking On Magazines
• Lava Flow Bundt Cake by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Lime-Coconut Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime
• Piña Colada Rum Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Pineapple Upside Down Coconut Cake by Adventures in All Things Food
• Raspberry Mojito Bundt Cake by SpiceRoots
• Speckled Tropical Bundt Cake by I Camp in my Kitchen
• Tequila Sunrise Bundt Cake by Los Chatos Chefs
• Tres Leche Bundt with Pineapple and Strawberry Whipped Cream by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tropical Hummingbird Bundt Cake by Tartacadabra
• Tropical Supreme Cake with Rum Cream Cheese Glaze by Sew You Think You Can Cook

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving Bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest Board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our homepage.