Chocolate Pineapple-Cherry-Pecan Upside Down Cake

My husband, who I affectionately call Meathead, came up with this recipe. I bake this cake for him and his lunch pals, as well as for our neighbors who don't cook/bake much anymore. They all seem to really like it!

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 14
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) box  devil's food cake mix, with pudding in the mix
• 1  teaspoon  almond extract
• 2  eggs
• 1⁄3 cup  vegetable oil
• 1 (20 ounce) can cherry pie filling (I use the extra fruit kind)
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices, drained and dried
• 1  cup  chopped pecans
• 6  maraschino cherries

Directions

1. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Lay pineapple slices in bottom of pan (mine held six slices), then put a maraschino cherry in the middle of each slice.
2. Roughly chop the remaining pineapple slices.
3. Combine cake mix, extract, eggs and vegetable oil with mixer, until all cake mix is somewhat moist. Fold in, by hand, the pie filling, chopped pineapple and pecans.
4. Spoon batter evenly over the pineapple slices in bundt pan. Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
5. Let cool slightly in pan then invert cake onto a platter.