Pineapple Upside-Down Cake - Dad's Favorite Cake

Name: Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/3 cup packed brown sugar; 1 Tablespoon water; 8 pineapple rings; 4 maraschino cherries (halved); 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour; 2/3 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2/3 cup milk; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (very soft); 1 egg

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake on neon green plate with blue and yellow napkin with cake serving platter in background

Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake has that delicious brown sugar, buttery, pineapple topping that bakes up a little crisp and gooey. The flavor from the fruit the intermingling with brown sugar is this classic recipe needs to be the star the dessert table!

The person who created the Pineapple Upside Down Cake was a very smart person indeed! It is, in my opinion, by far one of the prettiest cakes you can make as well as one of the tastiest! It is also my Dad’s favorite cake and one I would make him often for his birthday.

A slice of Pineapple Upside-Down Cake on a neon green plate with a blue and yello napkin and serving platter with cut cake in the background

Why I make Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Growing up, we always knew that Dad’s favorite cake was a Pineapple Upside Down Cake. This classic recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake is not fancy with frosting or layers of cake with decorations. It’s your basic yellow cake with fruit and buttery brown sugar. No whipped cream needed, although I will not judge you if you add whipped cream! Rather I would likely adore you!

This cake is not only fruity, but the homemade texture is very pleasing to your senses, making it a comfort food. It is perfect for any special occasion or just because! Simple to make, budget friendly and just plain delicious!

What you might like to know about Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

What exactly is an upside down cake?

It is a cake baked in a single pan with the toppings on the bottom of the cake pan. When removed from the oven, you flip the cake over onto a serving platter, where the toppings on the bottom become the top of the cake!

How do you prevent a pineapple upside down cake from sticking?

Make sure you butter the entire sides of the pan well. There should be plenty of butter in the bottom of the pan from the butter you will add for the brown sugar topping part of the recipe. Before flipping the cake upside down, run a butter knife along the edge of the pan to make sure no cake parts have stuck to the side.

How long should you wait before flipping your upside down cake?

You want to allow the cake to cool before flipping. I like to wait at least 15 minutes. That way it is not too hot to flip. And, I like it to still be slightly warm to be sure all the topping will come out with it and not stick to the bottom.

How to make Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Time needed: 50 minutes.

A classic recipe with a brown sugar and fruit “topping”

Mix together ingredients for “topping” in cake pan.
Melt butter and pour in bottom of cake pan.
Arrange Pineapple
Place pineapple rings over top of brown sugar mixture, arranging cherries in the center of each ring.
Combine cake ingredients
Gather your cake ingredients and combine as per recipe card.
Spoon batter over pineapple rings in cake pan.
Spoon the batter over pineapple and cherries in cake pan and smooth out top.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
When cake is done, remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes.
Serve warm!
Enjoy

You may need

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I highly recommend the Wilton Perfect Results 9″ cake pan. They are my favorite cake pans and I use them for recipes like this Pineapple Upside Down Cake as well as my favorite Blueberry Coffee Cake!