Retro, colorful, sweet, delicious Pineapple Upside Down Cake! Just look at this sweet tooth’s dream centerpiece. The caramelized topping seeping into the moist, velvety vanilla cake below is simply devine. Does it get better than a cake this beautiful that requires no decoration?
Decorating cakes is fun and all, but, what about not having to put in any extra work at all? Doesn’t that sound so tempting? No extra messy bowls with icing, no spilling sprinkles all over the floor, no chance to accidentally ice it too soon and end up with a melty mess. No. Pineapple upside down cake does all the work for you.
I feel slightly ashamed that my inspiration to make this cake was born from an infographic showing seasonal fruits in March, which included pineapple, then proceeding to buy canned pineapple. It’s just so much more convenient for this recipe, okay? I swear canned pineapple was designed for pineapple upside down cake.
Ingredients
- Butter – I prefer to use unsalted to have control over the sodium in my recipes. In this circumstance, however, a bit of salted butter in the caramelized topping would be delicious if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sugar – Brown sugar for the topping (any type- light or dark), and granulated sugar for the cake.
- Pineapple – The canned slices will make your life a lot easier! Check the FAQ below with instructions on how to prepare a fresh pineapple for this cake.
- Maraschino cherries – Sweet, vibrant, and perfect for this retro dessert. You can replace these with fresh, pitted cherries, bourbon cherries, or canned cherries.
- Eggs – I used large eggs for this recipe.
- Sour cream – I love using sour cream in cakes. It gives a moist, velvety texture. Greek yogurt can be used instead.
- Vanilla – Extract, paste, or fresh vanilla bean.
- Milk – Any type you have on hand, even a dairy alternative such as nut milk.
- Flour – All-purpose flour. Cake flour can be used instead if that’s what you have. Use an extra 3 tbsp than what’s called for in the recipe if you use cake flour. I don’t recommend using bread flour.
- Baking powder – I don’t recommend using baking soda if that’s all you have handy; it will give the delicately flavored vanilla cake an odd after taste.
- Salt – Use more or less than what I’ve called for if you prefer. If you’ve used salted butter, reduce the salt to 1/4 tsp.
How to make pineapple upside down cake
- Topping: Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9″ non-stick cake pan. Tilt the pan to spread the butter edge-to-edge. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.
- Pineapple & cherries: Blot the pineapple slices with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Arrange the pineapple slices over top of the sugar. Place a maraschino cherry in the middle of each pineapple slice.
- Wet ingredients: Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and milk to the bowl. Mix everything until well combined.
- Dry ingredients & batter: Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Dump the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until just combined, then use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Fold with the spatula until you don’t see any more flour.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the cake pan and use your spatula to ensure the batter is spread edge-to-edge. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes, or until you can safely handle the pan. Use a serrated knife, and using the edge of the pan as a guide for the knife, slice off the dome to flatten the top of the cake.
- Flip: Hold the pan from the bottom and place a plate on top, with the top of the plate facing the cake. Firmly hold both the plate and the pan, and flip to invert the cake onto the plate. Slice and serve.
FAQ
Follow these steps to use fresh pineapple:
1. Place the pineapple on a cutting board on its side. Slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple.
2. Stand the pineapple upright. Carefully slice along the curves of the pineapple to remove the skin.
3. Place the pineapple back on its side and slice it into ~1/4″ – 1/2″ thick slices. Use a 3″ cookie cutter or biscuit cutter on each slice to create a perfectly-sized round.
4. Use a shot glass to cut the core out from the center of each round.
You either love ’em or hate ’em! Use fresh, pitted cherries, bourbon cherries, canned cherries; any type you like best.
Yes you can! To use cake flour in place of all-purpose: use 1 cup plus 2 tbsp cake flour per 1 cup of all-purpose called for in the recipe. So, you will need 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tbsp cake flour for this cake.
Self-rising flour includes ~1 1/2 tsp baking powder and ~1/4 tsp salt per cup. In this case, you will end up with slightly more baking powder than called for in the recipe, but that’s okay. Leave the salt out completely.
When you think the cake may be done, insert a toothpick into the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is all done. If there’s some raw batter that comes out with the toothpick, it will need more time.
Different environments and ovens will affect the baking time of your cake. Keep an eye on your cake and use the baking time in my recipe as a guide.
Tips for making perfect pineapple upside down cake
- I trimmed the edges of my pineapple slices so that they would fit perfectly right on top of the cake once flipped.
- Make sure you don’t over-mix the batter. Once you’ve added the dry ingredients, mix just for 10-20 seconds until most of the flour is blended in, then fold the remainder with a spatula.
- I find it’s easiest to turn the cake out of the pan when the bottom is still slightly warm. Ooey gooey caramel topping? Yes, please!
How to store leftover pineapple upside down cake
Place the cake on a plate and cover with plastic wrap/ beeswrap, or use a cake plate with a dome if you have one. Transfer to the fridge and it will last for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze your leftover cake. I find it’s best to wrap the cake well with plastic wrap and it will last about a month. You can let it thaw, still wrapped with plastic, at room temperature, or remove the plastic and use the thaw function on your microwave. Check the cake every 30-40 seconds to make sure it doesn’t get too warm and dried out.
Craving more sweets? Try these:
- Triple Chocolate Banana Cake
- Pineapple Dream
- Grasshopper Pie
- Pear Galette
- Orange Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
- Cinnamon Roll Blondies
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Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Topping
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted, melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 6-7 pineapple slices canned, or peeled & cored
- 6-7 maraschino cherries
Cake
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar granulated
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup milk room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups flour all-purpose
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9" non-stick cake pan. Tilt the pan to spread the butter edge-to-edge. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.
- Blot the pineapple slices with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Arrange the pineapple slices over top of the sugar. Place a maraschino cherry in the middle of each pineapple slice.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and milk to the bowl. Mix everything until well combined.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Dump the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until just combined, then use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Fold with the spatula until you don't see any more flour.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and use your spatula to ensure the batter is spread edge-to-edge. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes, or until you can safely handle the pan. Use a serrated knife, and using the edge of the pan as a guide for the knife, slice off the dome to flatten the top of the cake.
- Hold the pan from the bottom and place a plate on top, with the top of the plate facing the cake. Firmly hold both the plate and the pan, and flip to invert the cake onto the plate. Slice and serve.
Perfection! Simple and delicious ♥️