A perfect mix of fluffy cake and sweet tropical fruit, pineapple upside-down cake is a scrumptious dessert any time of the year.
Jump to RecipeI love pineapple. I love cake. Pineapple upside-down cake is the perfect mixture of both and oh so good! Especially when I make it with lots of extra pineapple bits!
I can’t even remember the first time I had pineapple upside-down cake, but it’s one of my favorites. If I had a choice of any fruit, it is always pineapple. Because of this, I sometimes make the cake with only pineapple instead of the little maraschino cherries. But, Justin likes the cherries so I will add a few for him.
Recently, I tried making this in a springform pan because it was the only one I had clean at the time. I do NOT suggest this! It made a mess of the oven because the butter and brown sugar started leaking out of the pan. I noticed quickly so placed another pan underneath to catch the rest of the drippings.
The hardest part is always flipping the cake. There have been times that it doesn’t all release from the pan and I have pieced it back together. Most of the time, you can’t even tell! The sugar topping is what gets stuck. So as long as you get it quickly, you can usually place it back on and it melts into the rest of the topping.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Step by Step
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 8 oz can pineapple slices (drained and halved)
- 4 maraschino cherries (halved)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F, then melt the butter and pour it into the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. Stir in the brown sugar and water until it forms a paste that you can spread in the bottom of the pan.
Place the pineapple rings around the edges of the pan. Cut the cherries in half and place those inside each pineapple ring and in any other gaps you want to fill.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
Add the milk, softened butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine and form the cake batter.
Pour the cake batter gently over the pineapple and cherries until it covers everything. Level out with a rubber spatula as needed.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. If the cake is not very flat, it may help to cut a small amount off to make it level. When you flip the cake, if the bottom is bowed, the cake may crack as it settles.
Carefully flip the cake onto a serving platter. Cut and serve warm.
Recipe
Originally Published On: September 19, 2016
Last Updated On: September 19, 2022
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 8 oz can pineapple slices (drained and halved)
- 4 maraschino cherries (halved)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Put melted butter in a 9-inch round cake pan
- Stir in brown sugar and 1 tbsp water
- Arrange pineapple and cherries in the pan and set aside
- In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder
- Add milk, softened butter, egg, and vanilla
- Beat with electric mixer on low speed until combined
- Spoon batter over fruit
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
- Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes
- Loosen from cake pan and invert on a plate and serve warm
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Pineapple Recipes to try
- Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops
- Pineapple Bread Casserole
- Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars
- Hawaiian Chicken Wraps: An Easy Summer Meal
- Crystallized Pineapple: A Sweet Snack with Only 3 Ingredients
- Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Strawberry Pineapple Daiquiri Frozen Drink Recipe
- Carrot Cake with Pineapple Filling
- Hawaiian Meatballs in the Slow Cooker
- Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
- 5 Ingredient Rum Runner Cocktail Recipe
- Hawaiian Lit’l Smokies in the Slow Cooker
- Frozen Piña Colada
- Fluffy Frozen Fruit Salad
- Tropical Yogurt Parfait
- Frozen Fruit Cups: The Perfect Summer Treat
- 5 Cup Salad Recipe: A Perfect Cool Summer Dessert
More Cake Recipes
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- Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler Dump Cake Recipe for Camping
- Chocolate Strawberry Cake
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- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
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- Nearly-Headless Nick’s Deathday Cake
- Better-Than-Sex Cake or Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake
- Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
- Peach and Blueberry Cake
- Carrot Cake with Pineapple Filling
- Banana Cake with Glaze
- Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
- Perfect Fall Pumpkin Roll
I love cakes. Cooking or having new and different types cakes is one type hobby of mine. When i am free and get much leisure time , I try to make new types cake. I think your idea is unique so i wanna try it. thanks for sharing this recipe.
What a fun and delicious hobby! If you like pineapple, you should definitely try making this cake soon.
Pineapple upside down cake is my favorite! My mom and grandma used to make it tons growing up. This recipe looks very good.
We never had it growing up as far as I can remember. I think I first had it at a restaurant somewhere and loved it so had to recreate it myself.
I usually only like grilled pineapple but I’ve never had pineapple upside down cake so I may have to try this! Thanks for the recipe, it’s very summery!
I don’t think I’ve ever tried pineapple grilled, but that sounds delicious! It’s almost time to start making more grilled meals since it’s warming up here, I’ll have to try it next time we have a pineapple.
I don’t like pineapples at all, but this looks good. I know a few people who would love this cake. Maybe for their birthday. I just love all your recipes.
If you know someone who likes pineapple, then this would be a great birthday cake for them! Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits, so we make this a lot, even when it isn’t someone’s birthday.
Would you believe that I’ve never actually had pineapple upside down cake?! I’ve even surprised myself. Adding this to my baking bucket list.
If you like pineapples at all, then you will probably love this cake! You should make it as a weekend treat soon.
Wow! This cake looks new for me very look Yummy!! I love pineapple at the top of the cake 🙂
The cooked pineapple on the cake makes it so yummy. If you’ve never had it, you should try it soon!
Wow how lovely does this look! Very vibrant and ideal for a summer dessert dish for dinner. Stop making me so hungry lol xx
Yes, it’s a perfect dessert for summer with all of the tropical flavors in it!
This is one of my hubby’s favorite desserts! I’ve never made one because I always thought it was too complicated but this looks so easy! I’ll definitely be surprising him with this soon!
The hardest part is getting it to flip. I sometimes have bits that stick to the pan, but since it’s still warm I can grab those pieces and patch the cake and you can’t even tell!
Although I like cakes, pineapple isn’t my thing. But this one looks so delicious, I would definitely try it If I had the chance.
I understand, I know a few people who don’t like pineapple. I haven’t tried it, but you could probably make something similar with oranges or other citrus fruit that you prefer.
This looks like an easy recipe! I never tried making pineapple upside cake but I am going to try someday!
I hope you do! It’s a fun cake to make and tastes so yummy, too!
That seems delicious and I dont get to eat pineapple a lot lately, but seeing this recipe makes wanna try it.
We eat so much pineapple in our house. As soon as they are in season we are buying one each time we hit the store. Hopefully, you can get some pineapple and try it soon.
This sounds delicious! Do you think it could be done with fresh pineapple too?
Definitely! We usually make it with fresh pineapple, but I know it can be expensive to get when it isn’t in season, so that’s why I suggest canned. But, if you can get one fresh, then it works just as well.
I love upside pineapple cake, it’s such a yummy treat.
It’s one of my favorite cakes!