Most Americans who make pineapple upside-down cake use Maraschino cherries (if they use cherries to decorate this type of cake) in the middle of canned pineapple rings (or tidbits or crushed pineapple) over the butter and brown sugar in the bottom of the cake pan. For example, see this post* of a birthday cake I made using that combination, and this pic is of a roundie I made for my birthday in September. My Amarena dreams weren’t in the store yet.
The classic is pretty, but the thing is: there’s red dye in those Maraschinos. The second thing is: Trader Joe’s brings out Amarena cherries in the holiday season and they’re not dyed. They’re also supremely delicious and I fulfilled my dream of putting them on the top of some caramel and crushed pineapple. I will never go back. True, they’re not red. They’re dark purple. The flavor mix is Mschef’s kiss.
My method is described in this post: https://mschefinseattle.com/2023/11/10/new-pineapple-upside-down-banana-cake/
*https://mschefinseattle.com/2017/02/28/pineapple-upside-down-cake-2-methods-1-by-navy-seal/
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