Monthly Morsel: Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake … in the dutch!

Ever since he was a kid, Jarrett has been a fan of pineapple upside down cake, and it’s a treat he has enjoyed making on past camping trips. But lately we have been experimenting with more gluten-free options to add to our camping recipe repertoire, so rather than sticking with the traditional recipe, he started trying some variations. This gluten-free pineapple upside down cake took Jarrett a few tries to perfect, but on our trip to Prince Gallitzin it was a crowd pleaser! We even delivered samples to our camping neighbors. 🙂

ingredients

• 2 gluten-free yellow cake mixes (the size that each make 12 cupcakes); if you don’t need a gluten-free cake, you can simply substitute one regular yellow cake mix in place of the two gluten-free mixes.
• 2 cans of pineapple tidbits, reserving pineapple juice
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
• milk or water

Step 1: Begin by pre-heating your dutch oven and then melting the butter in the bottom. I like to start the recipe over a camp stove, but it can also be done over a campfire or hot coals. Drain the pineapple juice into a bowl, and reserve the juices for later. Add just the drained pineapple tidbits to the butter in the dutch. Add 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar and simmer on low for 10-12 minutes until the pineapple is soft and caramelized.

Step 2: Combine the cake mix, two eggs, and enough pineapple juice (and milk or water if needed) so the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter.

Step 3: Make sure the pineapple pieces are evenly distributed on the bottom of the dutch. Then slowly pour the cake batter over the pineapple. Slow is key so that the batter stays on top and the pineapple on the bottom.

Step 4: Put coals on the TOP ONLY of the dutch oven. I generally load the top of the dutch with coals, to thoroughly cover the lid. (I didn’t put coals on the bottom because I had already caramelized the pineapples and I didn’t want to risk burning the bottom.) Cook for about 40 minutes until a knife comes out clean.

As we were writing this post we realized we did not take enough pictures of the process but that was due to us shooting video of the cooking process instead. So check out our “how-to” video below:

Served warm, this gluten-free pineapple upside down cake is comfort food at its best. (Which is why it would make a great recipe to try on an upcoming fall campout!) And if you should have room to spare in your camper refrigerator, then topping a slice of the cake off with some vanilla ice cream or whip cream would really be the bomb.

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

40-50 minutes

Servings

generous slices

Ingredients

• 2 cans of pineapple tidbits, juices reserved
• 2 boxes of gluten free cake mix (the mixes that make 12 cupcakes each)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• Milk or water Only add the milk or water if the pineapple juice does not get the batter to the consistency you want.

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40-50 minutes Servings generous slices Ingredients 2 cans of pineapple tidbits, juices reserved 2 boxes of gluten free cake mix (the mixes that make 12 cupcakes each) 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 stick of butter Milk or water Only add the milk or water if the pineapple juice does not get the batter to the consistency you want.

Instructions

1. Begin by pre-heating your dutch oven and then melting butter in the bottom. I like to start the recipe over a camp stove, but it can also be done over a campfire or hot coals
2. Drain the pineapple juice into a bowl, and reserve the juices for later. Add just the drained pineapple tidbits to the butter in the dutch. Add about 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar and simmer on low for 10-12 minutes until the pineapple is soft and caramelized.
3. Combine the cake mix, two eggs, and enough pineapple juice (and milk or water if needed) so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.
4. Make sure the pineapple pieces are evenly distributed on the bottom of the dutch. Then slowly pour the cake batter over the pineapple. Slow is key so that the batter stays on top and the pineapple on the bottom.
5. Put coals on the TOP ONLY of the dutch oven. I generally load the top of the dutch with coals, to thoroughly cover the lid. (I didn't put coals on the bottom because I had already caramelized the pineapples and I didn't want to risk burning the bottom.) Cook for about 40 minutes until a knife comes out clean.

Recipe Notes

Note: If you don't need a gluten-free cake, you can simply substitute one regular yellow cake mix in place of the two gluten-free mixes. As with the gluten-free cake, slowly add the liquids until you reach the desired consistency of thick pancake batter.

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