📖 Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. Don't skip this step—trust me, it'll save you from a lot of heartache later!
2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes a while, so put on some music and enjoy the process!
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 large eggs, then add them one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. If the mixture looks a bit curdled at any point, don't panic! Keep mixing!
4. In another bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Don't overmix!
5. Arrange 20 oz of sliced pineapple rings in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. You can overlap the rings and make it extra pretty! Sprinkle 1/2 cup of brown sugar over the pineapple.
6. Pour the batter evenly over the pineapple. Spread gently to level the top.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If you're unsure, you can always do the jiggle test; if the cake center still jiggles a bit, bake for a little longer.
8. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a serving plate. The caramelized pineapple and sugar will create a beautiful glaze—watch out, it might be messy but totally worth it!
9. Once completely cool, serve and enjoy! This cake is amazing on its own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it even better. Just sayin'.