Loads of sweet, caramelized pineapple and the softest, buttery rich yellow cake combine to create one of the most gorgeous, delicious Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cakes around! You’re going to love serving (and eating) this classic cake every chance you get.
For more classic cake recipes with fruit, you’ve got to try my Mamaw’s Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake or my Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake!
Why It’s So Yummy!
- You could technically call this a double pineapple cake! Instead of just using pineapple juice in the cake, this recipe uses crushed pineapple + pineapple juice in the batter AND has a topping loaded with extra pineapples.
- And all that pineapple? Well, it gets caramelized in brown sugar or baked up in a buttery, rich, moist and tender yellow cake that’s so soft and delicious but still easy to make from scratch!
- No retro vibes here. This pineapple upside down cake doesn’t include maraschino cherries in its topping which can make the cake look old fashioned. This recipe just has pineapple and more pineapple, giving it a fresh look and even better flavor!
- I searched high and low and tested a number of recipes before I shared this special one because when I said this was the absolutely best homemade pineapple upside down cake recipe, it needed to be absolutely true!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
A homemade pineapple upside down cake isn’t like any other cake. Here’s what you should know!
- It’s not a fluffy layer cake or a sheet pan cake. It’s a 9 inch round cake that’s only about 1 ½ inches tall (about the size of a pan of cornbread), but still mouthwateringly beautiful with golden caramelized pineapples covering the top.
- It’s a dense cake because of the heavy fruit topping, but this recipe is also super soft, moist and buttery rich!
- It’s called “upside down” because it is literally baked upside down. To begin, the fruit topping is on the bottom of the pan with the cake batter on top. After baking, the whole cake is flipped over and the pan removed to reveal this special cake right side up!
- Because the “flip” is such an important part of a pineapple upside down cake, I use a 9 inch deep dish pie plate to bake it, not a cake pan! Traditionally, a cast iron skillet is used, but aside from being just the right size, being able to see through the glass pie plate ensures I always get a good “flip” and release of my cake!
- Speaking of traditional, homemade pineapple upside down cakes are often studded with candied cherries for a pop of color, but this cake is made with pineapple, pineapple and more pineapple for the best flavor! I saved the cherries for a fun serving idea.
- Lastly, when you look at the recipe card, it seems like this cake has a lot of steps, but it really doesn’t. Pineapple upside down cake is actually a very straightforward, easy cake to make.
Recipe Ingredients & Overview
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- canned pineapple slices
- crushed pineapple in pineapple juice
- light brown sugar
- white granulated sugar
- butter
- sour cream
- large eggs
- whole milk
- pure vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
Recipe Substitutions /Variations: Fresh pineapple is a delicious substitute for canned pineapple slices. There are about 10 slices in a 20 ounce can.
I used maraschino cherries as a fun serving suggestion in this recipe. For a more retro looking pineapple upside down cake, nestle the cherries in between pineapple slices, evenly spaced around the cake, before adding the batter and baking the cake.
How To Make Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Topping. Coat the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch deep dish, glass pie plate with butter. Press brown sugar into the bottom of the dish to create a “crust.” Top with more butter and arrange canned pineapple slices that have been drained, patted dry and halved in a spiral design over the sugar and butter.
Cake Batter. The cake batter is made up of 3 easy parts: wet ingredients, dry ingredients, secret ingredients (These are going to give us a moist cake with extra rich, pineapple-y flavor.)
- Wet Ingredients: Cream sugar and butter together before adding eggs and vanilla extract.
- Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this dry mixture a little at a time into the wet ingredients, mixing just enough to combine before adding a little more. Repeat until the wet and dry ingredients are combined. The batter will be VERY STIFF here, like cookie dough.
- Secret Ingredients: In the bowl used for the dry ingredients, whisk together milk, crushed pineapple with juice and sour cream. Use a rubber spatula to fold this into the thick cake batter until all of the ingredients are combined.
Bake. Pour the cake batter over the pineapple design, using a spatula to spread the batter to the edges. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center.
Turning Out The Cake. Let cake cool for 20 minutes before running a knife between the cake and the edges of the pie plate. Place your serving platter or cake stand upside down on top of the pie plate and flip! Let the cake release (you can watch it through the glass pie plate), and lift the pie plate away. Your upside down cake is ready to serve!
My Best Tips For Success
- I think a glass deep dish pie plate really is best for baking a homemade pineapple upside down cake because it makes the “flip” so easy, but you could bake it in a 2 inch deep, 9 inch round cake pan or in a cast iron skillet. A spring form pan is not a good idea. Your caramelized topping will leak out.
- When making your topping, firmly press the pineapple slices down into the sugar as far as you can to ensure your pineapple design shows up on the top of your cake. Otherwise, it might be covered with caramelized brown sugar.
- Don’t forget to pat the pineapple slices dry with a paper towel after draining them. I lay mine out a 2 layers of paper towels then blot them with a 3rd. If you don’t pat them dry, they could add too much liquid to your cake and make it mushy.
- Before you add the milk, crushed pineapple and sour cream, the batter WILL BE VERY THICK like cookie dough. Don’t quit here because you think you did it wrong. Adding the next ingredients will create that nice batter you’re looking for. Just do the steps, and it will be delicious!
- Don’t skip the cooling time. All that lava-hot, melted brown sugar has to cool and set before you flip the cake.
Now that your cake is out of the oven, let’s make sure it’s a success at the table too!
Slicing. You slice this cake into wedges. You should be able to easily get 8-10 slices from this cake.
Using a serrated bread knife works best cutting through the pineapple. Just work your knife gently up and down through the fruit without dragging the knife. (You’ll drag the fruit right off the cake.)
Serving. Since we didn’t bake cherries into our cake, serve this cake warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, a sprig of mint and a couple cherries on the side for the full homemade pineapple upside down cake experience!
If you want to serve this cake using the placemats, dinner napkins and cocktail napkins used in these photos, check out the Southern Discourse SHOP and my boutique partners!
Make It Ahead of Time
I love to serve this cake warm from the oven, but honestly, homemade pineapple upside down cake only gets better with time. Make this cake the day before serving for maximum sweet pineapple flavor.
Storing Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This cake will keep for about a week after it’s been made. You can store it for a day or two on the counter under a cake dome. But after that, it really needs to be stored covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator to stay fresh.
More Classic Southern Dessert Recipes
Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch deep dish pie plate
Ingredients
Topping
- 4 tablespoons butter room temperature, divided into 2 tablespoon & 2Tbsp
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 20 ounces canned pineapple rings drained and patted dry
Cake Batter
- 1 stick butter room temperature
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup whole milk room temperature
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple (in pineapple juice, not syrup) NOT drained
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
Topping
- Coat bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 inch, deep dish pie plate with 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Evenly distribute all of the brown sugar in the bottom of the pie plate and press down to create what looks like a "crust."
- Add the other 2 tablespoons of butter in little pats evenly over the top of the brown sugar.
- Cut the pineapple slices in half. Start in the center of the pie plate and arrange the pineapple in a spiral over the sugar and butter pats. When finished, firmly press the pineapple down into the sugar as far as you can to ensure your pineapple design shows up on the top of your cake. Set pie plate aside.
Cake Batter
- Using your stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together to flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. On low speed, mix this dry ingredient mixture a little at a time into the wet ingredients– mixing each time just until ingredients are incorporated then adding a little more until all of the dry ingredients have been added. Don't overmix.Batter will be thick like cooke dough.
- Add milk, crushed crushed pineapple WITH juice and sour cream to the empty bowl used to mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together then add to the thick cake batter. Mix on low just enough to incorporate. Then use a rubber spatula to gently fold the ingredients together until evenly combined.Batter will look a lot like a banana bread batter.
- Spoon batter over your pineapple design, using your spatula to evenly spread the batter to the edges.
Bake
- Place in preheated oven to bake for 50-55 minutes. Place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the cake for the last 5-10 minutes of baking time if cake starts to over brown. Cake is done when it springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and the center no longer jiggles. The cake might start to crack a little. That's ok, but don't over bake.
- Allow cake to cool 20 minutes on a baking rack before turning cake out onto a serving plate or cake stand.
Turning Out The Cake
- Gently run a knife between the edges of the cake and pie plate. Place your serving platter or cake stand upside down on top of the pie plate, then flip. Cake should release easily. (You can see it through the bottom of the pie plate.) If it needs any help in spots, gently tap the bottom of the pie plate over that spot. Lift pie plate up and away from cake, and you're done!
- If any of the topping sticks, just remove it from the bottom of the pie plate and add it back to the top of the cake.
Video
Notes
- A glass deep dish pie plate really is best for baking a homemade pineapple upside down cake because it makes the “flip” so easy, but you could bake it in a 2 inch deep, 9 inch round cake pan or in a cast iron skillet. A spring form pan is not a good idea. Your caramelized topping will leak out.
- When making your topping, firmly press the pineapple slices down into the sugar as far as you can to ensure your pineapple design shows up on the top of your cake. Otherwise, it might be covered with caramelized brown sugar.
- Don’t forget to pat the pineapple slices dry with a paper towel after draining them. I lay mine out a 2 layers of paper towels then blot them with a 3rd. If you don’t pat them dry, they could add too much liquid to your cake and make it mushy.
- Before you add the milk, crushed pineapple and sour cream, the batter WILL BE VERY THICK like cookie dough. Don’t quit here because you think you did it wrong. Adding the next ingredients will create that nice batter you’re looking for. Just do the steps, and it will be delicious!
- Don’t skip the cooling time. All that lava-hot, melted brown sugar has to cool and set before you flip the cake.
Nutrition
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