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Pineapple Upside Down Cake is bursting with fresh flavor! A caramelized layer of pineapple sits on top of a tender, moist vanilla cake. The surprise crumb layer on the bottom adds the perfect hint of crunch! Add fresh whipped cream and cherries for a polished finish.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love Pineapple Upside Down Cake:
- Caramelized Pineapple – A layer of pineapple slices is nestled in the pan with melted butter and brown sugar – they bake together to make perfectly caramelized slices of pineapple!
- Light Vanilla Cake – This easy dessert has a light and fluffy vanilla cake, with a hint of cinnamon.
- Surprise Crumb Layer – The crumb layer on bottom adds a hint of crunch!
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Pineapple – You can use a fresh pineapple, or canned pineapple rings. I like cutting the rings into quarters so you can fit more pieces into the pan.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon & level your flour for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly in will lead to too much flour.
- Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
- Sour Cream – Use full fat sour cream, at room temperature.
- Milk – 2% milk is my go-to for baking. Make sure it’s at room temp.
- Butter – I always use salted butter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer.
Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- Sour Cream – Full fat greek yogurt works in a pinch.
- Other Fruits – Try my Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, my Apple Upside Down Cake, Peach Cobbler Upside Down Cake, or my Blood Orange Upside Down Cake!
How to Make Pineapple Upside Down Cake:
Step 1: Make the Crumb Mixture. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Step 2: Prep the Pineapple Layer. Melt the butter in the bottom of your cake pan while the oven preheats. Sprinkle on the brown sugar, then layer on the pineapple slices and fill any gaps with maraschino cherries.
Step 3: Make the Batter. Beat together butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy (bottom left photo). Mix in the sour cream, dry ingredients, and milk.
Step 4: Bake. Pour the batter over the pineapple layer, and sprinkle on the crumble mixture. Bake as directed in the recipe card below. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate.
Serving + Storing:
Let the cake cool for a bit before slicing and serving, or dig in while it’s warm – it’s up to you! Serve with my easy homemade whipped cream (it takes just minutes to make!).
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Let slices come to room temperature for a bit before enjoying, if desired.
Expert Baking Tips:
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
FAQs:
I think you could halve it and bake in a 6-inch round cake pan, but I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not 100% sure about the pan size. If you want to double it, use a 9×13 pan. Start with about 10 minutes less bake time and add more time as needed until done.
Special Tools:
- Pineapple Corer – If you’re using a fresh pineapple, this is a single-use kitchen tool that is actually worthwhile! It makes cutting and coring whole pineapples a breeze.
More Pineapple Recipes to Love:
Bake this recipe with me:
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Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Crumb Layer
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted, 56 grams
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, 73 grams
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 58 grams
- 2 tsp raw turbinado sugar, optional, but gives a nice little crunch!
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cinnamon
Pineapple Layer
- 4 tbsp salted butter + additional for greasing pan, 56 grams + additional
- 1 large ripe pineapple, See notes below for canned alternative
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, 110 grams
- 1 jar maraschino cherries
Cake
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature , 113 grams
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 240 grams
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature , 120 grams
- 1 and 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled, 211 grams
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature , I used 2%, 60 mL
Whipped Cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter a 9-inch cake pan WELL, then give it a little spray with nonstick spray too. Slice your whole pineapple into rings, then quarter the rings. Or, use canned rings and quarter those.
- Make the Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, melt the butter. Stir in remaining crumb ingredients until a crumbly mixture forms. Set aside.1/4 cup salted butter, melted, 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 2 tsp raw turbinado sugar, pinch of salt, pinch of cinnamon
- Make the Pineapple Layer: Add the butter to the pan and pop it in the warm oven to melt it (this only takes 1-2 minutes). Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top, then layer on the pineapple pieces and fill in any gaps with maraschino cherries.1 large ripe pineapple, 4 tbsp salted butter + additional for greasing pan, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- Make the Cake Batter: Cream softened butter in a large mixing bowl for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on high for one minute, until creamed together. Mix in the eggs on medium-high speed for 45 seconds or so, beating until well combined and the batter is smooth. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla until just combined & smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed. When a few streaks of flour remain, pour in the milk and finish mixing on low speed.1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature , 1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, at room temperature , 1 tsp vanilla extract , 1/2 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature , 1 and 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled, 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
- Bake: Pour batter over the pineapple, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the batter. Bake for 45-52 minutes. When done, a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake will come out with moist crumbs, but not wet batter. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen and then invert the cake onto your serving plate.If the cake seems to be sticking, gently but firmly tap on the bottom of the cake pan with the butt of a butter knife while the cake pan is flipped upside down on the cooling rack. If any pieces of fruit got stuck in the pan, just place them back in their spot on the cake.Let cake cool as much as you like before cutting and serving. You can speed this up by moving it, uncovered, to the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Whipped Cream: Make the whipped cream according to my easy homemade whipped cream recipe! Make this just before serving the cake.
- Serve & Store: Serve with whipped cream and cherries on top! Store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe for Easter. It was a hit, everybody loved it. I changed a few ingredients, switched out the maraschino cherries for cocktail cherries (I prefer the richer flavor) and for dietary reasons, used refined coconut oil in place of butter, coconut sour cream and Coconut milk instead for the dairy. Plus I made a pineapple syrup with left over pineapple juice.
1/2 cup of pineapple
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
Heat until sugar dissolves and drizzle over cake before serving or leave as an optional topping.
This recipe is a keeper, I will be making it again soon.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Bryan! Thanks for your detailed feedback.