Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic American 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 with a piece cut out on a white cake plate

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 for Pineapple Upside Down Cake:

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! 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake on a white cake plate

Storage Instructions:

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 we will walk you through every step of the recipe with a video demonstration.