HELOISE Tips will make special cake even more tasty

Dear Heloise: I have made a cake similar to your no-mix cherry-pineapple nut cake. The ingredients were the same, but there were options -- you could substitute the cherry-pie filling with either apple or blueberry.
One hint I give to my friends when they ask me for the recipe is: When dumping the cake mix over the fruit, pour it into your hand first to break up any big lumps, and only put half of the cake mix in first. Then sprinkle a half-cup of chopped walnuts, then the remaining cake mix. I use a grater on the block of butter to cover the whole top. Amy Ho, Garden Grove, Calif.
Pat, via e-mail, says, "We used melted butter for easier spreading and a more even and crisp crust."
For those of you who might have missed the recipe, here it is. You will need:
1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
1 21-ounce can of cherry-pie filling
1 package of yellow-cake mix (2-layer size)
1 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter or margarine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread pineapple with its syrup evenly in the pan. Spoon pie filling evenly over pineapple. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over mixture, then the chopped nuts over all. Slice the chilled butter or margarine in thin slices, then put strips evenly over the other ingredients. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings. Enjoy! Heloise
Dear Heloise: I learned this tip from my good friend Harriet. When cutting brownies in the pan, first let them cool completely and then use a plastic knife to cut them into squares. The cuts are clean and precise. No more chunks of brownie stuck to the knife. Now my brownies look as good as they taste! Robin Cross, Bakersfield, Calif.
Dear Heloise: Those of us who, for health or taste reasons, prefer the natural-style peanut butter know the difficulty of mixing the oil back into the peanut butter. Try using your electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Spoon out the whole jar into the mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. With the help of a rubber spatula, pour it back into the jar and refrigerate. Joseph B. Doak, Via E-mail
Dear Heloise: It drove me crazy when I would open my silverware drawer and the plastic organizer would slide around. I finally got smart and put some double-sided adhesive tape on the bottom of it. Now it stays put, and I have one less little annoyance. Jerri from New Orleans
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