While I’m not sure how or when it started, there is no denying that I have an extremely mean sweet tooth. It shows up all the time in the way I cook savory food — but it goes bananas when I get to dessert.
None of this means that I need my sweets to be complicated. The desserts in my cookbook “The Seasoned Life” are all easy to make. This one in particular is something of a cheater recipe because it uses a box of cake mix. Still, I love this recipe because not only is it foolproof (after all, it’s pretty hard to mess up a boxed mix), but it’s a good trick to have when you need to make a dessert and are pressed for time.
The finished product is like an upside-down cake served right-side up.
Makes 1 (10-inch) cake
1 box favorite yellow cake mix (I like Duncan Hines), plus any ingredients needed for the mix
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ packed cup dark brown sugar
1 pint blackberries
1 cup diced pineapple
Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare the cake mix batter as directed on the package and set aside.
In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the brown sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, stir in the berries, pineapple, and thyme. Mix until the brown sugar begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat.
Pour the cake batter into the skillet and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Scoop the cake directly from the pan while still warm and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Ayesha Curry is the author of “The Seasoned Life” and “The Full Plate,” and is an entrepreneur, television host and restaurateur. She is mom to four children, daughters Riley and Ryan and sons Canon and Caius, and wife to basketball star Stephen Curry. She lives in the Bay Area in California.
Excerpted from “The Seasoned Life” by Ayesha Curry. Copyright (copyright) 2016 by Ayesha Curry. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved
This image released by Voracious shows the cookbook “The Seasoned Life” by Ayesha Curry. (Voracious via AP)
This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for cast-iron fruit cake from the cookbook “The Seasoned Life” by Ayesha Curry. (Caroline Egan/Voracious via AP)
This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for cast-iron fruit cake from the cookbook “The Seasoned Life” by Ayesha Curry. (Caroline Egan/Voracious via AP)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's World Cup squad will leave for the tournament on Monday after problems with travel visas delayed their departure, the national soccer body said.
South Africa plays co-host Mexico in the opening game of the World Cup on June 11 in Mexico City. It plays one of its group games in the U.S.
The South African team was due to depart Sunday but had not secured visas for the U.S. for some players and backroom staff members, the sports minister said.
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie posted on X that the “debacle” over visas was caused by an administrative error by team officials and called it embarrassing. He demanded a report from the South African Football Association.
"We are being made to look like fools," McKenzie wrote on social media.
The association said Monday that it had now secured visas for all the players, though four staff members still didn't have visas. They were an assistant coach, the team doctor, the head of security and an analyst, McKenzie said.
The soccer federation said it hoped their travel documents would be finalized in time for them to also board the charter flight in Johannesburg on Monday. It held an emergency meeting on Sunday night, it said.
The federation apologized for the delay and said it had received help from the South African Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg to resolve the problems.
South Africa's team management came under scrutiny in World Cup qualifying after midfielder Teboho Mokoena played in a game against Lesotho despite being suspended. South Africa was stripped of its victory, threatening its hopes of qualifying.
The team overcame that to qualify top of its group by one point.
South Africa will play at the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010. It also faces the Czech Republic in Atlanta and South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico, in Group A.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
FILE - South Africa players pose for a team photo before the Africa Cup of Nations group B soccer match between Angola and South Africa in Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
FILE - South Africa players celebrate their side's third goal during a World Cup 2026 group C qualifying soccer match between South Africa and Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium, in Nelspruit, South Africa, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
FILE - South Africa players celebrate after a World Cup 2026 group C qualifying soccer match between South Africa and Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium, in Nelspruit, South Africa, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
FILE - South Africa's Oswin Appollis celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a World Cup 2026 group C qualifying soccer match between South Africa and Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium, in Nelspruit, South Africa, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alfonso Nqunjana, File)
