Pineapple Right Side Up Cake... Psych!

I've seen it both ways.

 Every once in a while, it's time for a good old-fashioned TV series marathon. Whether one season or seven, no media marathon is complete without snacks, themed snacks especially. Itching for another excuse to try my hand at nerd food, I was ready to host. The inspiration for this media mania? None other than the USA Network hit - PSYCH!
I'm such a Psych fan, I majored in it!

 You heard it, pineapple heads, Psych is in the house. This awesome comedy starring Shawn and Gus (James Roday and Dulé Hill) follows a fake psychic and real pharmaceutical salesman crime-fighting duo through countless misadventures. Filled with witty dialogue, silly aliases and classic 80's movies references, this show is seven seasons strong and growing. 

 As for snacks, the possibilities for Psych themed nerd food are endless thanks to Shawn and Gus' inordinate love of food in the show. From jerk chicken to muffins, Quatro Queso Dos Fritos to the infamous Blueberry, there are almost too many options to choose from, or at least too many for one marathon. But, seeing as how there's pineapple in some shape or form in every single episode, I thought that'd be a good place to start. Thus, a pineapple shaped Pineapple Upside Down Cake. 
"Am I clear?" "Like butter."

 Fortuitously enough, I came across this awesome little pan long before I had intentions of hosting a Psych marathon. In fact, I'm pretty sure it spurred the idea to begin with. Needless to say, I was psyched. ;)
Pineapple squared!
Just like one would for any pineapple upside down cake, I first lined the bottom of the pan with an unhealthy amount of melted butter and brown sugar. Then, instead of placing rings of pineapple and cherries on top, I cut up smaller pineapple chunks and arranged them to look like an actual pineapple. Just add batter and it was off to the oven!
It may be a bit underdone...
As a rule of thumb, a good way to see if a cake is done is to press it gently with your finger. If it bounces back up, you're in pretty good shape. Another trick of the trade is inserting a skewer, knife or fork into the the center of the cake and seeing if it comes out clean. A third, lesser known way of testing the doneness of a cake is consulting a magic Psych ball.
It's a matter of Phsysics.

 In lieu of Gus' magic head, this magic Psych ball can answer all your deepest metaphysical questions - provided they are in yes or no format, of course. Upon asking it if the pineapple upside down cake was ready, I received the following answer:
The magic Psych ball has spoken.

 Wise words, magic Psych ball. A few minutes later, I pulled this mouth-watering creation out of the oven.
"Are you a fan of delicious flavor?"

I toyed with the idea of adding pear slices or even lettuce to the top to make the pineapple leaves green, but the effect was more silly than pineapple-like, so I left it au natural with the toasted brown sugar exposed. Yum!


As delectable as the cake turned out, a single pineapple upside down cake could hardly last a whole season of Psyching out, let alone seven! As such, I decided to add a few other favorites from the show. Mostly sugar-based favorites.
"Licorice pastels, twelve o'clock!"

 As per Shawn's demands in the episode known as "Think Tank," Skittles made their appearance (and were swiftly consumed), as well as licorice pastels mentioned in "100 Clues." The chocolate is in honor of Clem, Shawn's dream swan made primarily of cocoa, a la "From the Earth to Starbucks."
"BA-NA-NA. A yellow fruit. Also, a kind of pudding. ...A delicious pudding."

 Last but not least, I hearkened back to one of my favorite episodes, "Spellingg Bee," for our final treat of the evening: banana pudding. Complete with a giant Psych mug to serve it in, the pudding proved to be quite delicious indeed.

 While we didn't end up watching seven seasons of Psych (more like three episodes), it was a wonderful, delectable, pineapply extravaganza nonetheless. Plus, with more episodes to watch, that means more nerd food to eat. Until next time!

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