Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic American classic recipe, and has the most perfect light, but moist crumb, and is filled with delicious pineapple flavor. Hold onto your hats, this is seriously amazing!
Pineapple upside down cake is such a classic recipe! So often it can be totally underrated. While it may not be the first cake recipe you think of when you’re planning a birthday party or making a dessert, it will certainly be memorable once you take that first bite. The topping of this pineapple upside down cake is made with brown sugar and butter. When it goes into the oven it melts and cooks and turns into a caramel-like texture. That’s heavenly on its own, but then we top it with pineapple and cherries!
When you flip the cake over so the pineapples are on the top, that caramel mixture seeps into the cake and makes this pineapple upside down cake so tender and moist. We prefer to serve this pineapple upside down cake a little warm, but you can easily serve it cold, straight out of the refrigerator. If you serve it warm, make sure to grab a pint of vanilla ice cream to go on top. You’ll thank me later.
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Do I need to grease the cake pan?
Not this time. The melted butter in the bottom of the pan is all that you should need for it to come out easily, once you gently run a knife around the edges of the pan.
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Can I make this in a 9×13 pan?
This recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. All ingredients should simply be doubled. The baking time will remain roughly the same at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes.
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Yogurt Options:
We love the tanginess of full fat Greek yogurt, but you can use any plain yogurt. Fat free, low fat, whole fat, dairy free, it’s up to you! In a pinch? Sour cream works too!
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Storing this cake:
To store pineapple upside down cake you can put it in the refrigerator. To make sure the pineapple and cherries don’t stick to your plastic wrap, stick toothpicks around the edges and in the middle. Once you’ve done that, wrap both the cake and its plate loosely in the plastic wrap. Place the pineapple upside down cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. In addition to being stored in the refrigerator, you can cover this cake in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for up to one month, but I promise it won’t last that long!
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other amazing cake recipes:
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Can I use fresh pineapple slices
Yes.
If I use fresh pineapple slices I won’t have the juice as I would with the canned pineapple. Will this affect the recipe or should I substitute it?
You can use fresh pineapple and replace the pineapple juice with water. It won’t have quite as strong as a pineapple flavor. Another option would be to blend some of the fresh pineapple into a liquid to replace the pineapple juice, though I realize not everyone would be willing to take this extra step. So both are options when using fresh pineapple, but one means an extra dish to wash and the use of a small appliance which can be a hassle.
Love her clear instructions. Keeps it simple and in the recipe no mixer required. Nice.
So delicious! Thanks for another great recipe.
Outstanding recipe. I made this in my cast iron pan. I came out perfectly. The cake part was moist and delicious, paired with the pineapple…perfection.
One of my favorite cakes. I really love to eat this cake.
I made the pineapple upside down cake yesterday for the 1st time it was absolutely delicious topped with homemade whip cream!
Great idea! I was thinking about vanilla ice cream but I like the idea of whipped cream better.
I made this! So good. I’d post a pic, but …
Made it today. Soooo good! Looking forward to having another piece for breakfast tomorrow.
Should the cake be taken out of the pan right after it comes out of the oven? Or should it cool a little first? Thanks?
I let it sit for 10 minutes and then flipped onto a cake stand. Then I let it sit in the cake pan upside down for about 2-3 minutes. I was shocked, it came out perfectly, lol
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe, keep sharing this type of recipes.
Delicious!! I doubled the recipe for a 9×13 pan it turned out perfect!
I absolutely love pineapple upside down cake! This is another great recipe. Thanks Rachel for giving me the confidence to try so many of your delicious recipes!?
Could I use coconut milk as substitute for milk. I need non dairy substitute.
Coconut milk isn’t a great substitution for vanilla cakes because it’ll give it a slight coconut flavor. But in this instance, coconut flavors pair really well with pineapple and cherries so I’d say go for it!
I did use it for the reason you gave! Turned out great!
I am NOT a Betty Crocker in the kitchen. Far from it. No matter how closely I follow a recipe it just never seems to turn out right. HOWEVER, Rachel gives me confidence in the kitchen! Just tried this recipe for the first time. Pineapple Upside Down Cake is my husband’s favorite. And the verdict is….. “You MUST make this again!!” I’d call that a huge win for me. I even took pictures. I wish I could post them. I’m super thrilled. Thanks so much Rachel!!
Can I use regular box cake mix for this recipe?
I thought about it but after my husband’s comments about how the cake stands on it’s own deliciousness, I’m convinced in following Rachel’s recipe. Wishing you the best