Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake – This classic cake, while absolutely stunning, couldn’t be any easier. No need for cake decorating skills! Simply arrange your pineapple, whip up the batter, bake, and flip the cake over to reveal the gorgeous and colorful topping. Not to mention this decadent dessert is so delicious, I suggest you save room for seconds!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I need some more sweets in my life these days. Can anyone else relate? This cake is too easy to pass up. It comes complete with a beautiful topping, plus the pineapple slices create this caramelized ooey-gooeyness in each bite. No need to make and icing or glaze! Never before has a stunning cake like this taken so little effort.

If you’re a baking novice or just looking to save yourself time, grief, and a giant mess in your kitchen, this is a great dessert to have in your arsenal. Bring it to potlucks, serve it to guests, or make it for yourself to eat straight out of the pan! I cannot confirm or deny whether I’ve done that before.

Ingredients

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• Butter – Unsalted. You can also use margarine.
• Sugar – Both brown sugar and granulated.
• Pineapple – Canned rings. You can use a fresh pineapple, cored, and sliced into rings.
• Maraschino cherries – You can use fresh pitted cherries or bourbon if you don’t like maraschino.
• Flour – I used all-purpose.
• Leavener – Both baking soda and baking powder. If you’re going to use one or the other, use baking powder.
• Salt – To taste.
• Egg – I used a large egg.
• Vanilla – Extract, paste, or fresh vanilla bean.
• Sour cream – Plain yogurt can be used instead.
• Pineapple juice – If using canned pineapple, reserve the juice and use that. You can also substitute it with milk.

How to make pineapple upside down cake

Topping

1. Sugar mixture: In a small bowl combine the melted butter with the brown sugar using a fork. Spread this over the bottom of the prepared cake pan.
2. Pineapple & cherries: Arrange 7 pineapple rings over the sugar mixture. If preferred cut remaining pineapple slices and arrange around the sides of the pan. Place the maraschino cherries inside the pineapple rings. You can also add cherries between rings if you’d like.

Cake

1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium size bowl combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
2. Mix the batter: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer cream the butter with the granulated sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, sour cream and pineapple juice. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
3. Bake: Spoon the batter over the pineapple rings and gently spread to make an even layer. Transfer the cake pan to the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean.
4. Finish: Remove the cake pan from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before flipping the cake upside down onto a cake platter or plate. To do so, place the cake platter over the cake pan, flip upside down, wait 30 seconds then carefully lift the cake pan. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Can I add mix-ins?

Hey, it’s your cake! You can make it however you like. Mix ins like chopped nuts and dried fruit will work great. You can use sweet chips as well, but I find this cake is nice and sweet on its own. Chips may take it a bit overboard.

Pecans, walnuts, raisins, dried cherries, and apricots are all wonderful options for your cake. Add between 1-2 cups of mix-ins depending how loaded up you’d like it to be. Fold these ingredients into the batter before pouring it into the cake pan.

Tips for making the best pineapple upside down cake

• Don’t over-mix the batter. Just blend until you no longer see any flour.
• Test the cake with a toothpick. Every oven is different- your cake may bake a few minutes faster or slower than ours.
• When you toothpick test the cake, it may not come out completely clean. There might be a bit of darker caramel from the pineapples on the bottom. Look just for the lighter colored batter.
• Make sure you let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes after you take it out of the oven- don’t try to flip it right away.

How to store leftovers

Before employing any storing methods, make sure your cake has fully cooled down to room temperature. Store in the fridge up to 3 days.

I like to store mine on a cake plate with a dome. This makes it much easier to slice up as we enjoy the cake, plus it looks great as a center piece on the dinner table when you’re serving it up! You can also transfer your cake to an airtight container.

Freezing

Make sure your cake is fully cooled down to room temperature before freezing. Since the outside of the cake creates a caramel with the pineapple, you’ll want to first freeze the cake uncovered on a sheet pan for 2 hours until the outside is fully frozen.

Then, wrap the cake well with both a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer a foil. This method will ensure the plastic wrap doesn’t become frozen to the cake. Thaw the cake at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Your cake will last 2-3 months frozen.

Looking for more delicious cakes? Try these:

• Peach Upside Down Cake
• Banana Upside Down Cake
• Apple Pie Cake
• Blueberry Cake
• Cream Cheese Filled Banana Cake
• Easy Strawberry Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Lemon Magic Cake