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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar tightly packed
- 9-10 slices canned pineapple in juice
- 5-7 maraschino cherries
Cake Batter
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar tightly packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice reserved from can
- 1/3 cup greek yogurt
Topping
- Pour melted butter in a 9-inch round cake pan and sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.
- Remove the pineapple slices from the can, reserving juices for later. Arrange 7 pineapple rings to cover the bottom of the pan. Cut some of the rings in half to line the sides of the pan. Place one maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple ring and in between each where there is a hole.
Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, milk, pineapple juice and greek yogurt and whisk until just combined.
- Stir in baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add in flour and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the pineapple-lined baking pan. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Gently run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Top the pan with a serving dish and invert the cake onto the serving dish. Leave the pan on top of the cake for 5-10 minutes to ensure all the brown sugar and butter syrup soaks into the cake.