Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside down Cake is a buttery golden cake baked on top of a layer of caramelized brown sugar with the sweetness of pineapples and maraschino cherries. It’s flipped over before serving to reveal the beautiful pineapple rings with bright red cherries in the middle.

 

This simple pineapple cake recipe is always a show stopper because of how beautiful the pineapple rings look.

This is the best pineapple upside down Cake and is one of my favorite classic cake recipes. It’s a from scratch cake, but is an easy recipe. This is one of those classic recipes you’ll be glad you have.

You might also love my Pineapple Bread Casserole recipe, too.

Pineapple Upside down Cake

This is a classic pineapple upside down cake recipe has been around for a long time. It’s a single-layer cake which means it’s one of those easy recipes.

Most people tend to shy away from making this cake recipe because they believe it to be complicated, it really is pretty simple to make. While there are a few steps to this recipe, it’s not a hard dessert to make at all.

One of the things I love about this homemade pineapple upside down cake is that you use the cast iron skillet on the stove to melt the butter and caramelize the brown sugar, and then you bake the cake in the same pan in the oven.

This is a great recipe and I love how once the sugar dissolved it caramelizes the pineapple slices and makes a sweet syrup and a gorgeous cake.

Ingredients

• butter
• brown sugar
• pineapple slices
• eggs
• white sugar
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• Maraschino cherries

How To Make Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• Melt butter on low heat in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Add brown sugar until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
• Drain pineapple, reserve ⅓ of the juice. Set aside. 
• Arrange pineapple slices in a single layer on top of the brown sugar mixture, then place a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple slice. You should get 7 rings on the bottom. Cut the remaining pineapple rings in half and arrange them along the sides of the pan … spacing in between the round rings. Set aside. 

• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with hand or stand mixer on medium speed, with the whisk attachment until thick. Gradually add the sugar and mix well. 
• In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients flour, baking powder, salt and add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. 
• Stir in the pineapple juice. 
• Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Spoon over pineapples evenly. 
• Bake at 350 for 40 – 45 minutes. (check sooner to see if it’s done)
• Cool in skillet for 30 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.

Can I use a Regular Pan?

Yes, we used a glass pie pan for this recipe and it came out great. We cooked it for 45 minutes, but it could have stayed in a bit longer.

Can you use fresh fruit for this cake recipe?

Yes, you can use fresh pineapple. You can use a fresh pineapple and cut the rings to add.

Technically, you could also use chunks of pineapple instead of rings, but the rings are what make this cake to attractive.

How do you keep pineapple upside-down cake from getting soggy?

This is probably the biggest complaint from people who try and make this cake. You have to be certain that you’re draining the liquid from the pineapple can. Otherwise, it’s going to sink down to the bottom and cause the cake to be soggy and extremely sweet.

How do you know when a pineapple upside-down cake is done?

The toothpick test is what you need to do! Once the timer has gone off for baking it in the oven, insert a clean toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done and ready to be pulled. If it comes out with cake batter, it needs more time.

Be certain that you’re pushing the toothpick down further than the pineapple layer to make certain you’re getting it into the cake!

What Do You Serve with This Cake?

This cake can be served by itself, or you can top if with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

How to store leftover Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Make certain that you add any leftover cake to a container with a lid. Then, store it in the fridge until you’re ready for your next slice. This should be good for about 3 days if stored properly.

Tips

While this cake recipe is fairly simple to make, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• Drain the juice – This is so important! You don’t want any excess juice in the pan.
• Check the cake before the time is up – Every type of oven cooks at a different speed so be certain that you check the cake about 5-10 minutes early to be certain that it’s not already done.

Suggestions and Alternatives

If you want to try something new and fun, why not change up a few of the ingredients? Below are some simple suggestions on how to make this cake taste unique and delicious.

• Leave out the cherries – I think the cherries add a pop of color and WOW to this dessert, but you can certainly leave them out if you don’t like them.
• Add some shredded coconut – This is a great way to add in some texture and sweetness.

Can you freeze this cake for later?

This cake is freezable but the texture is going to be a bit different once it’s thawed. The freezing might also make the pineapple turn a darker coloring on top, which affects the overall appearance when serving.

This buttery cake has plenty of pineapple flavor and is a classic dessert. It’s sure to become a staple in your house.

More Delicious Cake Recipes

• Oreo Poke Cake
• St. Patrick’s Day Cake Pops
• Gingerbread Sheet Cake
• Hummingbird Cake
• Honey Bun Cake
• Apple Cider Bundt Cake