How to make a fast, tasty, easy cake... really easy!

I found Mr. N  looking in the fridge for something sweet and the only thing he could find was jelly.. so he put some strawberry jelly on bread and stood there making a frown.

That was my signal to make a cake.   I dug in the pantry and found a simple 'white cake mix'... hmmmm?  All I could do was bake it then think about what to do next?

Rum Emulsion, that will change the flavor somewhat.  I put a heaping teaspoon into the batter, let it bake then cool.

 

Wanting to do more than simply put canned frosting on the  cake I first made a simple syrup of pineapple juice and sugar, along with another teaspoon of the Rum Emulsion.  I brought the syrup to a boil to let it thicken, then spooned it over the cake and let it soak in.

Rum emulsion is on the order of vanilla flavoring.  It's much thicker and has a real rum flavor.

For the frosting, I chopped pineapple being sure to drain out the liquid as much as I could.  Mixed  it into the frosting and then spread it on the cake.

Then put on the top layer of the baked cake and topped it off with the pineapple frosting mix. No need to do the sides, there is enough flavor to please anyone wanting a sweet in a hurry.
The final touch, a few chopped Maraschino Cherries just for a bit of color and an added flavor. 
I even thought of chopping a few nuts for a garnish but there were none in the pantry. 

( mental note, replace nuts in pantry)

I'm happy to say this satisfied the Mr's sweet tooth, in fact he came back for seconds.  I'll have to admit I also had a piece and found it so nice I'll be making it again.
Now that I'm thinking about it next time I may put a bit of brown sugar into the simple syrup, sounds like it might just kick it up a notch.  Give it that pineapple up-side-down flavor?
Making a new recipe is one of my favorite things to do and this one passed the taste test with flying colors.

  

 This past week was full of family life and it has tired me out. 

 A death in the family, a new baby in the family and my sister flew home after her winter visit.  

Deep inside I'm somewhat depressed, sad or what ever you want to call it.  I think tomorrow, if the weather is kind, I might just go out in the yard and plant a few new flowers.  I need the feel of the sun and Mother Nature's kind hands on me.

 A new week is upon us and life is good.

"Enjoy" 

I'm joining
Wow Us Wednesday  
Create and Share 
Share your Cup Thursday