• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your pineapple. Strain and shake out the juice. You should have about a cup of reserved juice or syrup from one can, or about a cup and a half of fresh-cut pineapple.
  

prepare the baking pan

• For this post, I'm using an 8"x8" pan. Use a pencil to trace parchment paper to fit the bottom. (I also baked 8 mini cupcakes and had than pan set aside.)
  
• Spray with cooking spray or coat with softened butter. Place the parchment paper to the inside.
  
• Spray again and dust with flour.
  
• Separate the strained pineapple. If you are using one can of pineapple chunks like I did here, one cup will be spread down over the bottom of the pan. The remaining half-cup will be set aside and reserved for the last step of the cake batter.

  If you do have a second can of pineapple, or of the pineapple rings, I recommend using them. I like the end result, with even more pineapple placed at the bottom. However, if you are like me when I documented this recipe, and only have one can at home, you're still going to love this, and it's going to be awesome, so no worries.
  
• Once you evenly laid out the pineapple layer, you can place the cherries if you want. This is optional. I placed this sheet, half with cherries just to show you the option. I simply cut three Maraschino cherries in half and placed them by pressing down firmly so that they won't move.
  

adding a butterscotch layer

• Melt the butter, brown sugar, and salt in a pan, and bring to a boil.
• Pour on top of placed pineapple, and spread for all-over coverage.

prepare the cake batter

• In a bowl, cream the butter until it covers the bottom of the bowl. To soften the butter, leave it out until it is soft to the touch within the wrapper. Otherwise, you can put a stick from the fridge, in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
  
• Combine sugar. Then add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If you're using vanilla, now is the time to add it.
  
• Add eggs. One at a time.
  
• Prepare the wet ingredients. Measure one cup of buttermilk. To this, add 1/3 cup of the reserved pineapple juice or syrup. Add the oil. No need to mix.
  
• Pour about 1/3 of the liquid into the batter. Mix.
  
• Add all the flour. If you want to add a little flour and then wet at a time until it's all combined, that is fine too. This is how I do it. I like to avoid over-mixing since it changes the texture of the end-result.
  
• If you're all-in on the flour like me, use your paddle to fold in the flour by-hand, so it doesn't fly all over the place and you're speeding up the mixing process.
  
• Add the wet.
  
• Again, use your paddle to combine by-hand.
  
• Then mix completely until almost totally smooth.
  
• Add the 1/2 cup of pineapple chunks that you had reserved and set-aside. Gently fold-in pineapple. Mix by hand and not with attachment.
  
• Spoon the cake batter onto the prepared pineapple layer.
  
• Here's the finished pan before it goes into the oven.
  
• I spooned the rest to make cupcakes.
  
• Put both the cake and the cupcakes into the oven. Bake-time for the cupcakes is 15 minutes or so, depending on your oven.
  
• The cake will bake for 45-50 minutes. Start checking it just after 40 minutes. Once your center check-stick comes out clean, you're set to take it out. Allow it to cool until you can handle the pan. It can be warm when you're ready to flip it. Use the smooth edge of a butter knife or an inverted spatula to release the cake from the sides of the pan.
  
• Place a plate that fits/covers the cake, to the top. the top of the cake is now the bottom. You're going to flip this so that the pineapple is at the top of your finished cake.

  Flip and remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
  
• Allow to cool before serving.
  
• Cake version with butterscotch layer baked-in.