Pineapple Upside Down Bonfire Cake
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One of my sister’s favorite desserts is pineapple upside down cake, so while we were both at our parents in our hometown a few weekends ago, I made sure to include a variation of the cakes while cooking over a campfire in our parent’s backyard.
You’ll just need a few common ingredients like sliced pineapples, maraschino cherries and brown sugar – and of course, shortcakes for the cake! That’s right, traditionally topped with strawberries and whipped cream, store bought vanilla shortcakes make for the perfect base for the upside down cakes.
Just place a tablespoon of brown sugar on some foil, topped with a pineapple ring, cherry, and an additional tablespoon of brown sugar. Then just place the shortcakes, open side down, on top of the pineapple ring.
We were running low on foil so I had to compromise and cook three cakes in a single sheet. I wrapped mine loosely with the foil and made extra sure there were no cracks for leaks when the sugar turns into caramel. To serve, just open the bottom of the foil and cover with a plate, then quickly flip the plate, remove the foil and let the extra caramel-y sugary goodness drip onto the tops of each cake.
Happy camping (even if it’s in your own backyard)!
Pineapple Upside Down Bonfire Cake
Ingredients
- 3 vanilla shortcakes
- 3 maraschino cherries
- 3 pineapple rings
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat a cast iron grill over an open fire for at least one hour OR use hot coals of dying fire directly.
- In a 8×8 sheet of foil, place a tablespoon of brown sugar in the center and spread into an even layer about three inches round.
- Place a cherry in the center of the sugar and a pineapple ring around the cherry. Spread another tablespoon of brown sugar on top of the pineapple ring.
- Take a shortcake and place it open side down on top of the pineapple ring. Loosely* wrap the foil around the cake *(tightly wrap in double layers of foil in baking in coals directly). Repeat steps for remaining cakes.
- Bake pineapple side down for 10-15 minutes, until the brown sugar has melted and the pineapple is just starting to caramelize.
- Remove cakes from the fire and arrange pineapple side down on a plate. Open the bottom of the foil to reveal the cakes. Place another plate over the tops of the cakes and flip over quickly.
- Gently remove the foil from the cakes, letting the sugar drip off onto the cakes. Serve warm. Enjoy!
