Island Spiced Upside-Down Sweet Potato Cake

I got this from a brochure I received at the Southern Women's Show titled "Hints for Hassle-Free Entertaining" put out by the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission. I made it tonight while DH was at work since he doesn't care for sweet potatoes, and I liked it. The test will be to see if he likes it (of course I won't tell him there are sweet potatoes in it until after he says he likes it!) I made it in my Pampered Chef stone baker and baked according to the instructions for a 13x9-inch pan; the can of pineapple I used had 8 slices in it, so i just used all 8. It was done nicely after 30 minutes in my oven, but when I turned it out, it was very moist on the bottom. I had to place the pineapples back into place on the cake, but it held together very well when I turned it out.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 1 (20 ounce) can  sliced pineapple in juice
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1⁄4 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 (18 1/4ounce) package  spice cake mix
• 3  eggs
• 1⁄3 cup applesauce
• 1 1⁄2 cups  peeled and grated sweet potatoes
•  whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. Drain pineapple, reserving 3 tablespoons and 1/2 cup juice. Set aside 1 whole pineapple slice; cut 6 slices in half (save remainder of pineapple and juice for another use).
2. Preheat over to 350. Put butter in a 9x2-inch springform cake pan and place in the oven until butter has melted; set aside. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, ginger, and 3 tablespoons pineapple juice. Pour mixture into pan with melted butter and tilt to evenly distribute. Place whole pineapple ring in the center of the pan; arrange half slices in crescents around the center. Fill in spaces with dried cranberries.
3. In a bowl, combine dry cake mix, eggs, applesauce, sweet potato, and 1/2 cup pineapple juice. Using a fork, stir vigorously about 2 minutes, scraping sides until well mixed. Spread over pineapple in pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto platter, replacing any fruit that remains in the pan.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
5. NOTE: If using a 13x9-inch pan, leave pineapple slices whole and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake tests done. (I used 8 slices in my pan).