No longer is your rice cooker just for cooking rice! This easy cake is made in your rice cooker. Please note I used a small 6 cup rice cooker for this instructable but the recipe can be doubled or tripled even to be used in a 10 cup or larger cooker.

You will need

1 cup (228 grams) of buttermilk pancake mix
3 tablespoons butter
Pineapple slices
3/4 cups pineapple juice reserved from can of pineapple
Cherries, cranberries, or raspberries (frozen is OKAY)
1/4 cup (55 grams) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Step 1: Melt Butter and Sugar

Oil the sides of the rice cooker by rubbing the sides with butter. Turn on rice cooker to melt butter. When butter is melted, add the brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the pot. Stir to combine butter and sugar. Place lid on cooker and allow sugar and butter to cook for 5 minutes or so or until the sugar mixture begins to bubble.

Step 2: Add Pineapple

When sugar and butter is a hot bubbly mess, carefully arrange pineapple in bottom of rice cooker pot and add a cherry to compliment each slice you use in the pot. NOTE: use caution not to burn your fingers on the hot syrup in the bottom of the cooker.

Step 3: Make the Cake Batter

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup (171 grams) of pancake mix with 3/4 cups (6 fl ounces) pineapple juice. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and stir pancake mix and pineapple juice until batter is smooth.

Step 4: Add Cake Batter to Rice Cooker

Slowly pour the batter into the rice cooker over the pineapple and the syrup. Place lid on the cooker and allow to cook until the cooker shuts off.

Step 5: Patience

Please leave to cooker to cook the cake. Depending on the make of your cooker, you may need to reset your cooker's cooking cycle 1-2 more times. The cake should be done within 30 minutes so plan to check your rice cooker cake every 15 minutes to check for doneness and to prevent burning!

Step 6: Check Your Cake!

Open your rice cooker to check on the cake. If the cake is done the top will be smooth and firm. To test for doneness, stick a wooden toothpick or butter knife into the center of the cake. If the knife or toothpick come out clean, the cake is done! If there is batter on the toothpick or the knife, replace the lid and check to make sure cooker is still on. NOTE: the cake is nearing doneness when the aroma of CAKE has filled your room.

Step 7: Cool It

When cake is finally done, allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes so that the pineapple and syrup can set. Once cake is finally cooled and the rice cooker pan is no longer too hot to handle safely, remove the pan from the cooker.

Step 8: Flip It Upside Down

Using a butter knife, run it gently around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Use caution NOT to scratch your cooker's finish. This step is optional if the cake is has not stuck to the sides of the pan. Place a plate on top of rice cooker pan and swiftly turn the pan and the plate upside down. NOTE: if you are hungry NOW just eat the cake out the cooled cooker. I'm not your mother, I won't stop you.