Piña Colada Upside-Down Cake

Piña Colada Upside-Down Cake 1/4 cup butter 1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark) 1 medium pineapple 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, no stems 1 (15.25-18.25 oz) box yellow cake mix 3 large eggs 1 (13.25 oz) can coconut milk (I used light coconut milk) 1 tsp rum extract 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut Preheat oven to 350*F. Melt butter in the microwave & spread across the bottom & sides of a 12-inch round pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the butter on the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Cut off the top & bottom of the pineapple, creating a flat base; slice off the rind from top to bottom. Cut pineapple into slices about ¾" each. Remove the core with a corer. Cut slices in half. Place two slices in the center of the pan over the brown sugar to form a ring. Arrange additional pineapple halves around the center ring until it fills up the pan. Place cherries in any holes that you see. Make it pretty. Combine cake mix, eggs, coconut milk & rum extract in a large bowl. Whisk until well-blended. Carefully pour batter over the pineapple. Bake 35-45 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched in the center or a toothpick comes out clean. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, toast coconut on medium heat stirring frequently until lightly browned & crisp. Once it starts to brown it happens quickly, so don't walk away or it might burn. (Once you can hear a slight sizzle & smell it cooking, it will start to turn colors.) Once the coconut is toasted remove it from the pan & put it in a bowl so it doesn't keep cooking in the warm pan. When the cake is done, remove the cake from the oven & allow it to cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rack. Then invert cake onto a large platter, removing the cake pan slowly to not burn yourself with the sticky brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle & press toasted coconut onto the tops & or sides of the cake.