Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a comfort-food tradition. I have enjoyed this cake for many years, and I’m happy to share my own recipe and version: a delicious, tender-crumb, not-too-sweet-cake that I bake for my customers, and at home for my family. We enjoy this on special occasions, or when we need a little something to brighten our day.
I updated this recipe from the original to share the option for adding a simple, old-school butterscotch sauce after placing the pineapple, and before pouring the cake batter on top.
When I’m baking a cake for home, if it’s not a birthday, I tend to throw a recipe together with ingredients I have on-hand, or with extra batter from an order that I won’t let go to waste. But because I promised this cake recipe to share, I took the time to write it down and document the process for all of my fellow home-bakers who have pineapples in their fridge or pantry.
I’ve made this cake too many times to count – both professionally and at home for my family. It’s a really simple, classic style of cake. I’ve read vintage and current recipes for Pineapple Upside Down, and I make mine differently than any other version I’ve studied. Here’s a little single layer, fresh from the oven, that I made for my sweethearts at home a couple months ago.
This triple decker, on the other hand, was my husband’s birthday cake last year. I stacked three layers of Pineapple Upside Down Cake, one on top of the other, after they had completely cooled. The top and bottom had cherries and the middle layer had no cherries. I think I used a different batter for the top layer. I honestly can’t remember, but it looks like I did from the pic.
I used no frosting for his cake because my other half is not a fan. This cake is totally doable with the recipe I’m sharing. It will be better too. His was made more dense in texture. The crumb on the recipe I’m sharing with you is like a dream. I’m really pleased with it!
If you want to get started on this cake, the first step is deciding on how you’d like the bottom to be laid out. Here’s what I did for this particular cake. First, prepare the cake pans with parchment paper. If you want pineapple rings and have them, lay them in first. Then fill in the spaces with optional cherries or crushed or coarsely chopped pineapple pieces. The cake batter is laid onto the top of this fruit.
Mili’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups pineapple chunks If using fresh, chop to make at least this much. If using canned, one 20 ounce can of crushed. If you'd like the addition of rings, use a second can of pineapple for this. I didn't use the rings for this post because I didn't have them on-hand.
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice (or syrup) reserved from straining the fresh or canned pineapple
- 1/2 cup softened butter I always use salted. This is one stick or 8 tablespoons. To make this dairy-free or vegan, use vegan butter in the same ratio.
- 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) I didn't use it with this particular post.
- 2 whole eggs To make this vegan, use an egg substitute.
- 3 tablespoons oil I recommend canola or avocado oil
- 1 cup buttermilk To make this vegan, pour one tablespoon of white vinegar and then one cup of soy milk or coconut milk on top. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before using, so that it can curdle.
- 2 cups all purpose flour The end result will be perfectly fine to make this recipe vegan with all purpose flour. The same end result for this recipe will not be made, if you are making this cake both vegan and with the use of gluten free flours.
optional butterscotch sauce
- 1/2 cup butter Use dairy free butter as a 1:1 ratio replacement if you want to make this vegan or dairy free.
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your pineapple. Strain and shake out the juice. You should have about a cup of reserved juice or syrup from one can, or about a cup and a half of fresh-cut pineapple.
prepare the baking pan
- For this post, I'm using an 8"x8" pan. Use a pencil to trace parchment paper to fit the bottom. (I also baked 8 mini cupcakes and had than pan set aside.)
- Spray with cooking spray or coat with softened butter. Place the parchment paper to the inside.
- Spray again and dust with flour.
- Separate the strained pineapple. If you are using one can of pineapple chunks like I did here, one cup will be spread down over the bottom of the pan. The remaining half-cup will be set aside and reserved for the last step of the cake batter. If you do have a second can of pineapple, or of the pineapple rings, I recommend using them. I like the end result, with even more pineapple placed at the bottom. However, if you are like me when I documented this recipe, and only have one can at home, you're still going to love this, and it's going to be awesome, so no worries.
- Once you evenly laid out the pineapple layer, you can place the cherries if you want. This is optional. I placed this sheet, half with cherries just to show you the option. I simply cut three Maraschino cherries in half and placed them by pressing down firmly so that they won't move.
adding a butterscotch layer
- Melt the butter, brown sugar, and salt in a pan, and bring to a boil.
- Pour on top of placed pineapple, and spread for all-over coverage.
prepare the cake batter
- In a bowl, cream the butter until it covers the bottom of the bowl. To soften the butter, leave it out until it is soft to the touch within the wrapper. Otherwise, you can put a stick from the fridge, in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
- Combine sugar. Then add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If you're using vanilla, now is the time to add it.
- Add eggs. One at a time.
- Prepare the wet ingredients. Measure one cup of buttermilk. To this, add 1/3 cup of the reserved pineapple juice or syrup. Add the oil. No need to mix.
- Pour about 1/3 of the liquid into the batter. Mix.
- Add all the flour. If you want to add a little flour and then wet at a time until it's all combined, that is fine too. This is how I do it. I like to avoid over-mixing since it changes the texture of the end-result.
- If you're all-in on the flour like me, use your paddle to fold in the flour by-hand, so it doesn't fly all over the place and you're speeding up the mixing process.
- Add the wet.
- Again, use your paddle to combine by-hand.
- Then mix completely until almost totally smooth.
- Add the 1/2 cup of pineapple chunks that you had reserved and set-aside. Gently fold-in pineapple. Mix by hand and not with attachment.
- Spoon the cake batter onto the prepared pineapple layer.
- Here's the finished pan before it goes into the oven.
- I spooned the rest to make cupcakes.
- Put both the cake and the cupcakes into the oven. Bake-time for the cupcakes is 15 minutes or so, depending on your oven.
- The cake will bake for 45-50 minutes. Start checking it just after 40 minutes. Once your center check-stick comes out clean, you're set to take it out. Allow it to cool until you can handle the pan. It can be warm when you're ready to flip it. Use the smooth edge of a butter knife or an inverted spatula to release the cake from the sides of the pan.
- Place a plate that fits/covers the cake, to the top. the top of the cake is now the bottom. You're going to flip this so that the pineapple is at the top of your finished cake. Flip and remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
- Allow to cool before serving.
- Cake version with butterscotch layer baked-in.
My family and customers like my version of this classic the best. If you’re a fan of the dessert, I think you’ll love how versatile this recipe is. I have a little secret that I won’t keep from you too. This is a really awesome cake base and tastes amazing with confetti sprinkles folded-in too. I made some loaves and froze them for a rainy day. I’ll have to share the end result with you one of these days soon.
This love for Pineapple Upside Down Cake all started with the first meal my friend (and now husband) made for us more than a couple decades ago. We worked together and became fast-friends. Laughing and clowning around at work was new to me until this guy came around. I was over for dinner with him and his cousin, and Rodney made us all a salad, pasta (I remember it was super spicy) and he had already made a Pineapple Upside Down Cake for dessert.
That may have been the first time I’ve ever had this cake too! The flavor wasn’t something I grew up with. I remember liking it a lot, and the fact that he had made the dessert from-scratch left an impression on me. I was impressed with his cooking and baking skills!
This post reminds me of my introduction to this dessert, because I remember it being a sheet-cake style.
Here’s one more peek at what it looks like when you place the rings and fill the gaps and holes with crushed pineapple. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do at home, and make it a keeper to share with your family and friends.
