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    Home » Dessert Recipes

    Pineapple Upside Down Cake

    Published: Jun 12, 2016 Last updated: Jul 24, 2022 by Shelby Law Ruttan · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic cake recipe with a buttery brown sugar pineapple topping and is the best cake recipe to serve any night of the week or for special occasions.
    Pin image for Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

    A Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe with a tender vanilla cake and sweet pineapple flavor with a warm caramelized pineapple topping.

    A slice of the best Pineapple Upside Down Cake on a plate.

    This delicious cake is the best pineapple upside down cake and is the perfect cake to serve any time of year for after dinner dessert or special occasions.

    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why you'll love it
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🥄 Equipment
    • 🥫Storage
    • 📖 Variations
    • 💭 Tips
    • 🙋 FAQ's
    • 📚 Related Recipes
    • 🍽 Serve with...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❤️ Why you'll love it

    ✔️ It is an easy cake recipe made with simple ingredients from the pantry.

    ✔️ This classic cake has a beautiful presentation with delicious tropical flavors.

    ✔️ It makes an easy dessert for any night of the week ready to eat in under an hour (while it is still warm!).

    Ingredients for cake.
    It takes just a few simple ingredients to make this delicious from scratch cake recipe.

    🥘 Ingredients

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Unsalted butter

    Light brown sugar

    Canned pineapple rings

    Maraschino cherries, cut in half

    All purpose flour

    White sugar

    Baking powder

    Salt

    Whole milk

    Large eggs

    Vanilla extract

    🔪 Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Pour melted butter in bottom of 9-inch round cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over top of butter then drizzle with 1 tablespoon water. Stir to combine, and using a rubber scraper, spread over entire bottom of pan.
    3. Place pineapple rings in pan over top of brown sugar mixture. Place ½ maraschino cherry, cut side up, in center of each pineapple ring.
    4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
    5. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and water to the butter mixture, blending until creamy and smooth.
    6. Using a hand mixer, mix on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Mix another minute on high speed, until batter is smooth.
    7. Spread cake batter over the pineapple slices in prepared baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cake cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake from pan and invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.
    Pouring melted butter over top of brown sugar in cake pan.
    The magic of the upside down cake is the delicious brown sugar and butter sauce with pineapple rings and cherries.

    🥄 Equipment

    Large mixing bowl

    Electric hand mixer, thoroughly blend the cake ingredients. It also adds air to the batter when mixing, giving it more volume.

    Rubber scraper, to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl

    9-inch round cake pan (or a cast iron skillet can be used in its place)

    Small saucepan, to melt the butter

    Cooling rack

    Spreading cake batter over top of pineapple rings.
    The batter is evenly spread over top of the pineapple rings with maraschino cherry centers.

    🥫Storage

    Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Storing this

    📖 Variations

    • Use canned pineapple juice in place of water
    • Instead of pineapple rings, use drained crushed pineapple and spread evenly over top of the brown sugar mixture, then top with cherry halves as desired.

    💭 Tips

    • For best results, do not allow the cake to cool longer than 15 minutes. It needs to be warm when flipped over onto the plate to allow the brown sugar pineapple topping to release easily from the bottom of the dish.
    Baked cake in cake pan
    The cake needs to cool at least 15 minutes, then should immediately be inverted onto a plate. Don't let it cool completely.

    🙋 FAQ's

    What 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 sides of the pan are greased well. There should be plenty of butter in the bottom of the pan from the butter added 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?

    The cake should be cooled for at least 15 minutes before flipping. That way it is not too hot but is still warm enough to be sure all the topping will not stick to the bottom of the pan.

    Can I substitute a yellow cake mix for the cake portion of this recipe?

    Yes, you can do so, but you will only need to use ½ of the cake batter. Either plan to double the recipe for the topping or just bake the remaining batter in on it's own.

    Whole cake on a glass cake stand.

    📚 Related Recipes

    Pineapple Pie is a childhood favorite that was in my Nanny's kitchen often!

    These Pineapple Cookies are a delicious soft treat with a light orange glaze.

    Best Carrot Cake is perfect for family gatherings and birthdays.

    Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is delicious with a chocolate buttercream frosting.

    🍽 Serve with...

    The best way to serve this classic dessert is with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


    Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

    When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

    If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

    📖 Recipe

    Pineapple Upside Down Cake

    Shelby Law Ruttan
    Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic cake recipe with a buttery brown sugar pineapple topping and is the best cake recipe to serve any night of the week or for special occasions.
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Go to Collections
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Desserts
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 320 kcal

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 8 pineapple rings
    • 4 maraschino cherries halved
    • 1½ cups all purpose flour
    • ⅔ cup sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ⅔ cup milk
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter very soft
    • 1 large egg

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Pour melted butter in bottom of 9-inch round cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over top of butter then drizzle with 1 tablespoon water. Stir to combine, and using a rubber scraper, spread over entire bottom of pan.
    • Place pineapple rings in pan over top of brown sugar mixture. Place ½ maraschino cherry, cut side up, in center of each pineapple ring.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
    • In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and water to the butter mixture, blending until creamy and smooth.
    • Using a hand mixer, mix on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Mix another minute on high speed, until batter is smooth.
    • Spread cake batter over the pineapple slices in prepared baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
    • Let cake cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake from pan and invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sliceCalories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 273mgPotassium: 151mgFiber: 1gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 361IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mgNet Carbohydrates: 53g
    Keyword Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Pineapple Upside Down Cake
    Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

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    About Shelby Law Ruttan

    Shelby is the author/owner of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Established in 2007, she shares and preserves family recipes as well as recipes for cooking light and keto. She has authored the One-Pot Paleo Cookbook and The Pescatarian Keto Cookbook. She is an experienced, self-taught home cook who loves to share recipes with others. She also authors the websites Honeybunch Hunts and The Best Vegetarian Recipes. You can see her work on websites such as Veal Made Easy, Parade, Community Table, SoFab Food, Yummly, and FoodGawker.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm

      June 19, 2016 at 7:16 am

      Pineapple Upside Down Cake is one of my very faves.

      Reply
    2. Hezzi-D

      June 13, 2016 at 9:59 am

      I love Pineapple Upside Down Cake! This looks delicious!

      Reply
    3. Renee @ReneesKitchenAdventures

      June 12, 2016 at 10:38 pm

      The perfect classic recipe! How cool is it that your dad operated a dairy farm!

      Reply
    4. Jennifer

      June 12, 2016 at 7:04 pm

      Pineapple Upside-down Cake is my dad's favorite too! I haven't had one in years and this one looks wonderful! Also, thank you so much for hosting!

      Reply
    5. Caroline

      June 12, 2016 at 5:55 pm

      This is the soft of thing my dad would like too - looks great!

      Reply
    6. Carlee

      June 12, 2016 at 12:57 pm

      Now I am absolutely craving some pineapple upside down cake! Mmm!

      Reply
    7. CrazedMomDOTcom

      June 12, 2016 at 11:55 am

      Every time I make a pineapple upside down cake, it's a huge mess. YOURS is gorgeous and looks like it holds together so much better. I need to try this. Plus your photos are gorgeous. I want to lick the screen! haha

      Reply
    8. Monica

      June 12, 2016 at 11:37 am

      This is gorgeous and it brings back such memories. My Grandmother made this and it was always a family favorite. I've never tried it but you make it look so easy I'm going to take the plunge!

      Reply
    9. Kimberlie Robert

      June 12, 2016 at 9:35 am

      From the zinc mines to a dairy farm. Wow. That deserves pineapple upside down cake. I haven't had it in years and your post makes me crave it. Yours is a lovely post and I'm happy I stopped by. Thanks.

      Reply
    10. Liz

      June 12, 2016 at 4:47 am

      One of MY dad's favorites, too! This brings back such memories. My mom would make it with the cherries, too 🙂

      Reply

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    Welcome! I'm Shelby Law Ruttan, I'm a mom, grandmother, and cookbook author for HoneyB's Kitchen who started blogging family recipes in 2007 for.... 

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