When I was young my mother baked- no really she baked. I was always allowed in the kitchen to watch and to wait patiently for the spoon and bowl so I could lick the batter. The best dessert she made was a pineapple upside-down cake and being almost southern, she made it a little different than most. We had this every Thanksgiving and Christmas as I grew up which is probably the reason it was my dad’s favorite dessert. I have a few of her cookbooks and found this recipe on an old, stained note-card:

Topping Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 slices pineapple and 1 can (20 ounces) can of drained pineapple chunks
• maraschino cherries

Cake Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a 9-inch square cake pan, melt butter; sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange whole pineapple slices and cherries on sugar. (Cherries place in the holes of the pineapple slices).

Cake batter: Melt 1/2 cup butter; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk; beat until smooth. Pour over pineapple layer. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick slides out clean. Let cake cool for 30-45 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate.

Does that sound yummy or what? I would love to make one, unfortunately I don’t have a mixer that works. I received a cordless, hand-hand mixer several years ago for Christmas and it has never worked. I’ve looked at several brands and I really like the idea of having a stand mixer as opposed to a hand-held. Even if I’m mixing brownie batter I don’t feel as if the hand-held mixes everything well so imagine mixing the pineapple upside-down ingredients.

The Eclectrics® Mixer, by Hamilton Beach ® offers 400 watts of mixing power, not to mention it comes in several colors, including red which would match my kitchen theme. My mom had a Hamilton Beach® Mixer years ago, but sold it in a yard sale after my dad passed away, thinking she would have no use for it anymore. The newest Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer, the Eclectrics®, and no I’m not spelling the word wrong, has been awarded Best Buy rating by two consumer magazines. Aside from the cute colors, and yes I used the word cute for a kitchen appliance, I can see myself whipping up a few good desserts, including my mom’s pineapple upside-down cake, for the holidays this year. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! It would work so much better than the horrible mixer I owned. If you have someone on your gift lists this year who likes to bake, even if it’s only on special occasions, like myself, (hint, hint), this would make a nice present.