Yes, not your typical pineapple upside down cake as I made it today with a twist. We never use the maraschino cherries with the red dye; instead I made mine today with chopped dates in the middle of the pineapples and added shredded coconut for a tropical flavor. It is DELICIOUS! Here's how I did it (photos of the steps at the end):

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 large can pineapple rings or crushed pineapple, well drained - reserve juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded coconut
4-6 pitted dates or dried cranberries
1 yellow or white cake mix or your own from scratch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour melted butter into a 9x13 pan. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded coconut over the brown sugar mixture. Place the drained pineapple rings or crushed pinapple on top of the coconut. Put chopped dates / dried cranberries in the center of the pineapple rings or sprinkle lightly over the crushed pineapple.

Make cake mix according to directions, substituting the reserved pineapple juice for all or some of the water required. When well blended, pour over the pineapple mixture in the pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set in the middle. Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a foil-covered cookie sheet or other serving tray. Serve warm or cold - we had ours with some whipped cream hot from the oven!

Enjoy!

Oh yes, if you find yourself out of brown sugar, as I did today - here's a quick substitute:

You can substitute white sugar for brown sugar 1 for 1 - you just have to add 4 Tablespoons of molasses to the white sugar for each cup used. Mix it well with a fork and proceed as usual. If it is very moist, you might want to decrease your other liquids by 2-3 Tablespoons. It worked just fine for me today and the flavor was delicious!