Desserts

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

by Spoorthy
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This Pineapple Upside-Down cake is soft, moist, and buttery. Caramelized sugar with pineapple and cherry topping adds a juicy flavor and makes it more flavorful. This cake is best to make for any events or a special treat at home. This cake is an all-time favorite, classic, and retro cake that will be a hit with both kids and adults in your home.

I have used canned pineapple and canned maraschino cherries in this recipe. Canned works better than fresh for this particular recipe. Butter is preferred over oil as it brings more moisture and softness to the cake. This recipe makes enough batter for Eight by Eight-inch rectangular pan. It has to be adjusted if using a bigger cake pan.

There are several advantages of disadvantages of using canned pineapples. Canned pineapple causes the bromelain (which has protease enzyme) to break down the protein when heated or baked. It stops solidifying and remains a liquid when heated, unlike fresh pineapples. So it makes it a perfect choice for adding in the desert or any recipes that involve cooking the pineapple.
On the contrary, bromelain has many medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, relieving sinus problems, improving digestion, and treating common ailments for cold and flu.

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PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

  • Author: Spoorthy
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 10 servings
Print Recipe

Description

This Pineapple Upside-Down cake is soft, moist, and buttery. Caramelized sugar with pineapple and cherry topping adds a juicy flavor and makes it more flavorful. This cake is best to make for any events or a special treat at home. This cake is an all-time favorite, classic, and retro cake that will be a hit with both kids and adults in your home.

Ingredients

Eggs- 3 (separated)

Vanilla Extract- 2 tsp

Sugar- 3/4 cup

Butter- 1/2 cup (melted)

Pineapple Juice- 1/2 cup

All-Purpose Flour- 1 1/2 cup

Baking Powder- 1 tsp

Butter- 2 Tbsp

Brown Sugar- 1/4 cup

Pineapple Slices- 6 (from an 8 oz can)

Maraschino Cherries- 1/4 cup

Instructions

1. Separate three eggs. Set the egg whites aside. Add 2 tsp of vanilla extract to the yolks. Beat the yolks with vanilla extract.

2. Add 3/4 cup of sugar to the yolks. Beat for 30 seconds or until the batter is creamy.

3. Add 1/2 cup of melted butter and beat for 30 more seconds.

4. Pour 1/2 cup of pineapple juice into the batter. Reserve the slices to add to the bottom layer of the cake. Mix well. 

5. Sift 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 tsp of baking powder into the batter. Beat for one minute.

6. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. 

7. Fold the egg white into the batter gently. Do not overmix at this stage as it will lead to the flat cake by releasing the air bubbles.

8. Take an Eight by Eight-inch pan and grease the bottom generously with 2 Tbsp of butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar on the butter and press down with a spoon to coat the surface evenly.

9. Place the pineapple slices on the butter and place Maraschino cherries on the center of the pineapple.

10. Pour the prepared batter onto the cake pan and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes.

11. Allow the Pineapple Upside-Down cake to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the cake cools down, flip the cake upside down and cut it into slices.

Notes

Canned pineapple works well for this recipe. Looks for the description above in using canned pineapple vs. fresh pineapple.

Adding brown sugar instead of white sugar brings in a more caramelized flavor. Dark brown sugar works best when compared to light brown sugar.

Another quick and easy way of doing this is using cake mix instead of the cake batter preparation. 

Cooling the cakes before cutting is very important. When hot, it can mash the pineapples and cherries. I have made the mistake of rushing through this step.

This cake is a very moist, fluffy, and buttery cake. It does not store well at room temperature for longer than 24 to 48 hours. 

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 244 Kcal
  • Sugar: 11.61 g
  • Fat: 10.88 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5.619 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0.64 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 30.98 g
  • Fiber: 1.7 g
  • Protein: 5.65 g
  • Cholesterol: 200 mg

Keywords: pineapple upside down cake, pineapple cake, moist fruit cake, easy pineapple dessert recipe, pineapple cake recipe, pineapple cake from scratch

Separate three eggs. Set the egg whites aside. Add 2 tsp of vanilla extract to the yolks. Beat the yolks with vanilla extract.
Add 3/4 cup of sugar to the yolks. Beat for 30 seconds or until the batter is creamy.
Add 1/2 cup of melted butter and beat for 30 more seconds.
Pour 1/2 cup of pineapple juice into the batter. Reserve the slices to add to the bottom layer of the cake. Mix well. 
Sift 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 tsp of baking powder into the batter. Beat for one minute.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. 
Fold the egg white into the batter gently. Do not overmix at this stage as it will lead to the flat cake by releasing the air bubbles.
Take an Eight by Eight-inch pan and grease the bottom generously with 2 Tbsp of butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar on the butter and press down with a spoon to coat the surface evenly.
Place the pineapple slices on the butter and place Maraschino cherries on the center of the pineapple.
Pour the prepared batter onto the cake pan and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes.
Allow the Pineapple Upside-Down cake to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the cake cools down, flip the cake upside down and cut it into slices.