Pineapple upside down cake, in my humble opinion, is the best way to enjoy eating pineapple. This cake has everything a cake lover looks for. It’s moist, easy to make, buttery, gorgeous, and you don’t have to go through the hustle of making caramel sauce. The caramel layer is formed while the cake is baking. This cake is to die for!
If you enjoy upside down cakes, then you will love my Apple and pear upside down cake! Please watch the video tutorial below to learn how to make this elegant delight!
What are the ingredients in the pineapple upside down cake?
The ingredients are simple because you are making a simple basic vanilla cake; the only addition here is the caramel layer and pineapple slices.
All-purpose flour. If you wish to have a lighter cake, then use cake flour and keep the measurements the same.
Sugar. I have used two types of sugar. Dark brown sugar for the caramel layer, but you can use light brown sugar or even raw sugar. My family likes dark brown sugar for intense caramel flavor; hence I have used it in this recipe.
I have used white sugar in making the vanilla cake batter. Using brown sugar in the cake batter will make it very moist, and the cake might turn soggy after two days of storing. The cake will have more wet crumbs than tender crumbs, so it’s best to stick with the white sugar for the batter.
Eggs. You can use eggs at room temperature or straight from the fridge it won’t make a difference for this recipe, but make sure the eggs are large to help the cake rise evenly while baking.
Sour cream always helps cakes and muffins stay moist and keep the crumbs tender for a longer time if you don’t have it use plain yogurt instead.
Baking powder and baking soda help the cake rise and prevent it from becoming dense.
Salt.
Pineapple slices, if you can get your hands on fresh pineapple, it will be great, but if you can’t, then use canned pineapple slices; it’s what I have used in this recipe, and it worked well.
Cherries is optional, but it will make the cake look good. Use fresh or canned pitted cherries.
Milk, you can use low-fat milk or whole milk.
Unsalted butter and oil, the combination of butter and oil does two things to this cake. The butter gives the richness and flavor; the oil keeps the cake moist even after it is refrigerated.
Vanilla, but you can use lemon zest or orange zest instead.
How to make pineapple upside down cake?
- We start by the most crucial step, which is preheating the oven to 325F/170C.
- Mix the melted butter with brown sugar and spread it at the bottom of a springform pan. For this recipe, I have used parchment paper to avoid the pineapple and the caramel from sticking to the pan.
- Place the pineapple slices and cherries on top of the previous mixture and keep the pan aside.
- Sift the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Keep aside.
- Use room temperature butter and beat with oil and sugar until creamy in texture, add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla, beat the mixture for few seconds. Add half the amount of flour and mix the batter at low speed, then add half the milk and mix on low speed, repeat with the remaining flour and milk.
- Mix the batter using a spatula to make sure that all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the batter on top of the previously layered pineapple and cherries. Spread the mixture evenly using a spatula and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven. Let it rest in the pan for 6 minutes, open the springform pan, and then flip the cake in the serving plate.
How to store pineapple upside down cake?
Since the cake has pineapple and caramel, it is not advisable to keep it/store it at room temperature, so it’s better to refrigerate or freeze it.
To refrigerate the pineapple upside down cake, wrap the cake in a plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container. It can stay in the fridge for three days. Refrigerating the cake for more than three days will make the cake soggy because of the moisture coming from the pineapple and the caramel.
To freeze the cake, cut the cake into slices and wrap each slice in a plastic wrap. Place all the cake slices in a Ziplock bag or a plastic container. Freeze for up to two weeks. To thaw the cake, place the wrapped cake slice on the kitchen counter, and when it is thawed completely, you can warm it for a few seconds in the microwave.
How to serve this cake?
Serve the pineapple upside down cake with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream on the side. The two drinks that go well with this cake are coffee and a chilled glass of milk.
📖 Recipe
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE BATTER
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- Cherries canned or fresh but make sure it’s pitted
- Pineapple slices fresh or canned.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F/170C.
MAKE THE CARAMEL LAYER FIRST
- Melt the butter and mix it with the brown sugar until incorporated.
- Spread the brown sugar mixture evenly at the bottom of the springform pan.
- Place a whole slice of pineapple in the middle of the pan.
- Cut the rest of the pineapple slices into halves, place the halves around the whole pineapple slice.
- Place a cherry in the middle of the pineapple slices. Refer to the images and the video tutorial to guide you on how to arrange the cherries and pineapple slices.
- Keep the pan aside.
MAKING THE CAKE BATTER
- Sift the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Keep aside.
- In a bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugar until creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the previous mixture and keep on beating.
- Add the vanilla and the sour cream and beat for few seconds.
- Add half the amount of flour and beat on the lowest speed, then add the milk and mix until combined for a few seconds on low speed. Repeat this step.
- Using a spatula, give the batter a quick mix to make sure that all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the batter in the previously prepared baking pan. Smooth the surface of the batter and spread evenly.
- Bake, the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
- Let the cake rest in the pan for 6 minutes, run a butter knife along the sides of the pan, and then open the springform pan and release the cake by flipping it on a serving plate.
- Some like to serve the cake warm with ice cream on top, but you can allow the cake to come to room temperature and then serve it.
- *Learn how to store the cake from the post above!
Video
Notes
- Cream the butter and sugar to get tender crumbs and enhance the flavor of butter in the cake.
- Don’t over mix the batter after adding the flour or the cake will turn out dense.
- Make sure the oven is preheated, allow the oven to preheat for 15 minutes before using it.
- Make sure that the baking powder is stored well and has not expired.
- Use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter, then omit the salt from the cake batter.
- Do not open the oven within the first ten minutes of baking; otherwise, the cake will sink in the middle.
- If you don’t have parchment paper, make sure to grease and dust the edges of the pan well.
- When baking the cake, the top might get darker. To prevent this, grease an aluminum foil and place it over the cake with the greased side facing the cake.
Nutrition
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