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–+ servings
Pineapple upside down cake on grey plate.
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4.75 from 4 votes

Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Caramelized brown sugar, pineapple, and maraschino cherries top moist vanilla cake in this impossible-to-resist Pineapple Upside Down cake. This retro classic is perfect for any occasion, even a random weeknight!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Author: James Delmage

Ingredients

For the topping

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1/2 packed cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 9 slices canned pineapple rings patted dry to remove excess moisture
  • maraschino cherries

For the cake

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour can also use all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice from can, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup milk room temperature
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Pour the melted butter into a deep 9" pie dish. Grease the plate sides with the butter as well. Sprinkle the brown sugar all over the butter. Place the pineapple slices into the plate in a uniform pattern without overlapping. Cut the remaining pieces to fill the empty spots around the sides of the pie dish. Place a cherry into each pineapple hole including the half slices.
  • In a small bowl combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla and pineapple juice.
  • Using a spatula fold a portion of the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients until all of the milk, wet, and dry ingredients are combined. Make sure to not overmix.
  • Pour the cake batter into the pie dish. Bake for 20 minutes then loosely cover with foil and continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick pulls out mostly clean.
  • Place the pie dish on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then carefully (the dish will still be hot) invert/flip the cake onto a plate. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Servings.  Makes 8 large or 10-12 smaller slices.
  • Pineapples.  7 whole rings and pieces of about 2 more rings will be needed.  Make sure to pat the pieces dry with paper towels to remove the moisture.  
  • Flour.  Cake flour is recommended for a lighter and fluffier cake, but all-purpose flour will work well too.
  • Sticking and flipping. Buttering the pie dish sides and flipping after 10 minutes will ensure the cake won't stick.  The pie dish will still be quite hot after 10 minutes, so make sure to wear gloves.
  • Oven. This recipe was written for a conventional oven. For convection ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness at the 75% mark.
  • Leftovers. Pineapple upside down cake can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6.1g | Fat: 19.9g | Saturated Fat: 11.8g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 192mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 42.3g | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg

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