Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

"Cast iron is so superior for cooking utensils to our modern aluminum that I not only cannot grieve for the pioneer hardship of cooking in iron over the hearth, but shall retire if necessary to the back yard with my two Dutch ovens, turning over all my aluminum cookers for airplanes with a secret delight." ~Majorie Kinnan Rawlings, 'Cross Creek'(1942)

1 pound butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 (20oz)can pineapple slices
1 jar maraschino cherries
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 box of yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Melt butter in bottom of Dutch Oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Place pineapple rings over mixture and place a cherry half inside each pineapple ring. (Reserve the Pineapple and Cherry Juice). Nestle pecan halves among the pineapple rings.

Pour the pineapple juice and cherry juice into a cup and add enough water to make 1 1/4cup. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, juice and 3/4 cups more water. Mix well and add chopped pecans. Stir for 3 minutes. Spoon mixture evenly over the pineapple rings.

Open Fire: Bake on medium hook for 20 minutes. Removed from fire and add top coals. Continue baking for 15 or 20 minutes, or until cake tests done. While still hot, turn cake out into a large platter or cutting board covered with foil. Serves 12.

Home Oven: Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Then, flip while hot.

* Cooks best in a 12" Dutch Oven. It also took 55 minutes to cook in my oven.
* Cooking my way through the book "Over the Open Fire" page 30.
* The recipe says, "Don't like pineapple? Use a can of peaches instead!"

* I would give this a C rating. My Family ate it but didn't love it.