A Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe with a tender vanilla cake and sweet pineapple flavor with a warm caramelized pineapple topping.
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.
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❤️ 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
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Light brown sugar
Canned pineapple rings
Maraschino cherries, cut in half
All purpose flour
Large eggs
Vanilla extract
🔪 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.
- 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.
🥄 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
🥫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.
🙋 FAQ's
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!
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.
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.
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.
📚 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.
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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
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.
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
Pineapple Upside Down Cake is one of my very faves.
Hezzi-D
I love Pineapple Upside Down Cake! This looks delicious!
Renee @ReneesKitchenAdventures
The perfect classic recipe! How cool is it that your dad operated a dairy farm!
Jennifer
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!
Caroline
This is the soft of thing my dad would like too - looks great!
Carlee
Now I am absolutely craving some pineapple upside down cake! Mmm!
CrazedMomDOTcom
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
Monica
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!
Kimberlie Robert
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.
Liz
One of MY dad's favorites, too! This brings back such memories. My mom would make it with the cherries, too 🙂