This pineapple upside down cake is soft and buttery with a caramelized brown sugar pineapple & cherry topping. Its juices seep down into the cake, adding even more luscious flavor and texture. A classic favorite using canned pineapple and maraschino cherries, this retro cake is served upside down and perfect any time of year.
I love learning in the kitchen and I’m always working hard to improve my skill. With constant practice comes the opportunity to bring you the best recipes I can. This is an exciting post!
Improved Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe – Read the Difference
I developed and published a pineapple upside down cake recipe several years ago. It’s certainly loved by many, but the cake is prone to overflowing because there’s quite a lot of batter. Additionally, it can taste overly wet and the instructions were never written very clearly. As a cookbook author and baker, I’ve certainly improved my craft over the years!
My improved pineapple upside down cake recipe, written below, is much softer than my original. Using creamed butter instead of melted, cake flour instead of all-purpose flour, all white sugar instead of brown sugar + white, and using egg whites guarantees a huge textural difference. I adapted it from my white cake. My new recipe doesn’t yield as much cake batter, so we don’t have to worry about overflowing.
The pineapple cherry topping remains the same. You don’t mess with perfection. 😉
- Old Cake Recipe (in notes below): Overly heavy, wet, overflowed
- New Cake Recipe (below): Softer, pleasantly moist, reduced amount of batter
We’re using the same ingredients in my updated cake batter just in different forms, ratios, and amounts. Baking is truly a science and I’m happy to continue to deliver you well tested and improved recipes!
Key Ingredients You Need
- Cake Flour: Lighter than all-purpose flour, cake flour produces a soft crumb.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The two add plenty of lift under the heavy topping.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness.
- Butter: Instead of melted butter, use 6 Tablespoons of softened butter. (Not the whole stick, though you do need more for the topping.) Creaming butter and sugar guarantees a buttery soft crumb. It’s how I prepare my vanilla cupcakes, too.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar sweetens and tenderizes the cake. There’s brown sugar in the topping to provide essential flavor!
- Egg Whites: Don’t let yolks weigh down a cake that’s already weighed down by the fruit topping. After all my recipe testing, I now swear by just egg whites here. So there’s no waste, here are my recipes using egg yolks.
- Vanilla Extract: Flavor.
- Sour Cream: Along with cake flour and egg whites, sour cream promises a tender cake crumb. Plain yogurt works in a pinch.
- Pineapple Juice & Milk: Liquid is key in most cakes because it thins out the batter. You typically make pineapple upside down cake with canned pineapple, so use some of the liquid in the can for the cake batter.
I appreciate that the cake, in general, is smaller and not as overwhelming just like this apple upside down cake. Both are great options for smaller gatherings for Easter and other holidays. See more Easter brunch recipes and Easter dessert recipes.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake Topping
I didn’t change my original topping recipe. Sticking with tradition, the topping includes canned pineapple rings, maraschino cherries, butter, and brown sugar. I always use 10 pineapple rings (some are halved for the sides), which is one 20 ounce can. Feel free to use fresh pineapple and cherries. Canned pineapple chunks will be a little messy and could spill down the sides when you invert the cake, so proceed with caution.
- My #1 Tip for the Topping: Blot the wet pineapples and maraschino cherries before using. The more liquid in the fruit, the more liquid that won’t “set.” Excess liquid creates an unpleasantly wet cake.
I know you’ll appreciate this too: pineapple upside down cake is basically already frosted. There’s no extra decoration required; the garnish is literally baked into the cake!
Overview: How to Make the Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This classic pineapple upside down cake is buttery rich and the sweet fruit topping is downright irresistible. Let me walk you through each step so you understand the process.
- Prepare the topping: Melt the butter, pour into an un-greased cake pan or pie dish, sprinkle with brown sugar, then arrange the blotted pineapple rings and maraschino cherries as you see in my photos and video tutorial. I always refrigerate the topping as I prepare the cake batter—this helps solidify the designed arrangement underneath the wet cake batter.
- Prepare the cake batter: Whisk the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg whites and vanilla, then the sour cream. Pour the dry into the wet ingredients, pour in the pineapple juice & milk, and then beat to combine. You’ll have about 2 cups of cake batter and it’s very straightforward to prepare.
- Spread over topping: Pour and spread the cake batter over the chilled topping.
- Bake: Because of the wet bottom layer (which is the topping), the cake takes much longer than a typical 1 layer cake. Its juices will bubble up the sides, creating these incredible caramelized edges. (They’re so good!) With upside down cakes, it’s always good practice to place a baking pan or sheet on a lower rack to catch any juices should they splatter over the edges.
- Cool: Cool the cake for 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Inverting any sooner will create a seeping mess—we want the topping to “set” as much as it can. You can serve this cake warm, though it slices much better if you let it cool completely at room temperature first.
Expect a Dense Cake
I’ve been making pineapple upside down cake since I could hold a spatula. I’ve made hundreds of versions, or so it seems, and I say with 100% certainty that this cake will always be on the denser side. (Unless you are using store-bought cake mix.) You see, the cake is served upside down. The weight of the topping, which is the bottom of the cake as it bakes, weighs down the crumb beneath it. Pineapple upside down cake will never be as light and airy as white cake. If you were to make this exact cake batter and serve it right-side-up, the cake would taste much airier.
Does that make sense?
I know you’ll love its unique texture, especially paired with the brown sugar caramelized fruit topping. Let me know how you like it!
PrintPineapple Upside Down Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Updated in 2020, this is my favorite recipe for traditional pineapple upside down cake. For best success, read the recipe and recipe notes before beginning.
Ingredients
Topping
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 8–10 pineapple slices (see note)*
- 15–20 maraschino cherries (see note)*
Cake
- 1 and 1/2 cups (177g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) pineapple juice, at room temperature (use leftover from can)
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Prepare topping first: Pour 1/4 cup melted butter into an ungreased 9×2 inch pie dish or round cake pan. (Make sure the pan is 2 inches deep. I recommend this pie dish, which is 1.8 inches deep but I never have an overflow issue.) Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Blot any excess liquid off the fruit with a clean towel or paper towel. (The wetter the fruit, the more likely the cake could overflow or the topping could seep over the sides when inverted.) Arrange about 6-7 blotted pineapple slices and all the cherries on top of the brown sugar. I like to halve 3 pineapple rings and arrange them around the sides of the pan, too. See my photo and video above for a visual of the arranged topping. Place pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes as you prepare the cake batter. This helps solidify or “set” the topping’s arrangement.
- Make the cake batter: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until creamed together, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. On high speed, beat in the egg whites until combined, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer onto low speed and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in the pineapple juice and milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Remove topping from the refrigerator. Pour and spread cake batter evenly over topping.
- Bake for 43-48 minutes, tenting foil on top of the cake halfway through bake time to prevent the top from over-browning before the center has a chance to fully cook. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean—a couple moist crumbs are OK. Don’t be alarmed if your cake takes longer or if the cake rises up and sticks to the foil. (We serve the cake upside down anyway!)
- Remove cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for just 20 minutes. Invert the slightly cooled cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Some of the juices from the topping will seep over the sides—that’s ok. You can slice and serve the cake warm, but the slices will be messy. I find it’s best to cool the cake completely at room temperature before slicing and serving. Do not refrigerate the cake to speed up the cooling process because it could end up tasting overly dense.
- Cover leftover slices and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature. I don’t recommend freezing the cake as a whole because the topping arrangement doesn’t thaw very nicely. See make ahead instructions below.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can refrigerate the topping in step 2 for up to 1 day. If refrigerating for longer than 1 hour, cover it tightly. Other than that, this isn’t the best cake to make ahead of time or freeze because the pineapples will settle down into the cake—while still tasty, the presentation won’t be as pleasing. You can, however, prepare the wet ingredients (cover and refrigerate) and dry ingredients (cover at room temperature) separately up to 1 day ahead of time, then continue with the recipe the next day. Let the wet ingredients come to room temperature before mixing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Pie Dish or 9-inch Round Cake Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Old Recipe: The current cake batter recipe was updated in 2020. If you loved the old cake batter recipe, originally published in 2014, here it is: The topping recipe is the same. Prepare the recipe above through step 2. For the cake batter, whisk 1 and 2/3 cups (210g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together. In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup (115g) melted unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar, 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt or sour cream, 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, 1/4 cup (60ml) pineapple juice, and 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract together. Whisk wet and dry ingredients together until smooth. Continue with step 5 in the recipe above.
- Pineapple & Cherries: Traditional recipes use canned pineapple and maraschino cherries. I recommend 1 20 ounce can of pineapple rings/slices, which usually holds 10 rings/slices. You can use fresh pineapple rings/slices and fresh cherries if desired. If using fresh cherries, I recommend halving them. Blot excess liquid off the fresh fruit just as I instruct in step 2. Fresh or canned pineapple chunks, tidbits, and/or crushed pineapple will create a messy topping that could spill over the sides when the cake is inverted. I recommend rings/slices because they are larger.
- Sour Cream & Milk: Full fat sour cream and whole milk are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full fat plain yogurt would work instead of the sour cream, though the cake may not taste as tender. Same goes with a lower fat or nondairy milk.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
Keywords: pineapple upside down cake, cake
this is a GREAT recipe, but I use PEACHES !!!! very easy to make and the cake is wonderful !!! thank you !
★★★★★
This is going to be my first attempt at a pineapple upside down cake!!! How many cupcakes would this make?
Hi Aubrey, you can certainly turn these into cupcakes, dividing the topping and batter evenly among your cupcake pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it should be about 18-20 minutes. Let us know how they turn out for you!
It made 12 for me!
★★★★★
Hi , how long this cake can last in the fridge ? And can I freeze it? I’m planning to do it for a party on the weekend and I would like to do it ahead of time. Thank you in advance.
Hi Randa! Because of the wet pineapple, this isn’t the best cake to make ahead of time – see recipe notes for ways you can prepare to make the cake in advance!
Beautiful recipe!! I tried it for the first time and it turned out great! Thank you
★★★★★
I love this recipe and the fact that it calls for cake flour which I have plenty of. I just want to know how would you convert the recipe for cupcakes instead of a cake?
Hi Alyssa, you can certainly turn these into cupcakes, dividing the topping and batter evenly among your cupcake pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it should be about 18-20 minutes. Let us know how they turn out for you!
Can you please post the old recipe as well? I just loved that and my whole family did as well.
Hi Theresa, see recipe notes section for the full old recipe. Enjoy!
New family favorite! The taste, texture, and presentation are simply delightful. My 12-year-old daughter said after her first bite that she had to have a copy of the recipe to put in her own binder. Thank you for sharing, Sally! Your recipes never fail me! Can’t wait to try the Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake next.
★★★★★
Hello!!
Could this be made in a 9×13 inch pan?
Hi Shea, we fear there will be way too much cake batter if you doubled the recipe for one 9×13 pan. We would double the recipe, fill the pan only about halfway with the batter and use extra for cupcakes (about 18-20 minutes bake time for the cupcakes). We’re unsure of the bake time for the 9×13 cake.
I made it for my parent’s anniversary, it turned out to be Perfect! Thankyou for sharing beautifully illustrated recipe n giving minute details ! Outstanding work, keep it up and help us ( new bakers ) to make our occasion more spl with these homemade goodies! Cheers!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, why is the pan ungreased?
Hi Soumya. We do not grease the pan for this cake because the bottom (which becomes the top) is mostly all butter. It bubbles up around the sides of the cake as well.
I was pleasantly surprised. I am use to traditional yellow cake for pineapple upside down. My great grandmother made it that way. Didn’t think a white cake could pull it off. However it did. Moist, nice texture all around delish. I will use the cake recipe for a rhubarb upside down. Thank you
★★★★★
I’ve seen some recipes that use a small amount of whiskey in the topping and the batter. What are your thoughts on that?
★★★★★
Hi Dan, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but let us know if you give it a go.
I am about to try your recipe right now and was wanting to know if I want a bigger cake, well I NEED a bigger cake. Should I double the cake ingredients? Or how does that work? I am really looking forward to taking this cake.. but I would hate to mess it up by getting the measurements wrong! Please let me know. My email is a.fossett87@gmail.com
I made this first the time for a potluck using the original recipe (as suggested by many comments) and had great success! I like a heavier cake anyway and this one was just dense enough. I followed the recipe exactly except I baked it in a Bundt pan (my first time using a Bundt pan) and allowed for a bit more cooling time post-bake. I love this recipe and can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
I’m wanting to make this recipe, but I will need a larger cake than a 9 inch round. I was hoping to make this as a 9×13 inch cake for Mother’s Day. Should I just double this recipe? I’m a little nervous about this one after reading some of the comments. I was hoping someone else would have asked about doubling this, but I didn’t see anything. Any help would be super appreciated!!
Hi Marisa! We fear there will be way too much cake batter if you doubled the recipe for one 9×13 pan. We would double the recipe, fill the pan only about halfway with the batter and use extra for cupcakes (about 18-20 minutes bake time for the cupcakes). We’re unsure of the bake time for the 9×13 cake. Let us know how it goes!
Hi Marisa. I know this is after Mother’s Day and I hope you were able to make the recipe the way you wanted and have a great result. I just made this cake yesterday and I needed to make it to serve at least 12 people, so, I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 13″ x 9″ Handi-Foil Cake Pan. I had a 2-pack of pans, which worked perfectly because I used the second pan to flip the cake for presentation and serving, and it made it very easy to transport because the pans also come very well-fitting lids. I was afraid I would sling cake, pineapple and cherries everywhere during the inversion, but, I held the two pans tightly and it couldn’t have been more perfect. I used all the batter except for about a half of a cup, which I baked separately for a “tester” since I was baking it for someone else. I spread the batter evenly over the pineapple and it baked up perfectly with no cracking at all. I tented it halfway through and it took 48 minutes to bake in my oven. I felt that the inverted cake top looked a little plain, so, I made about a cup of caramel sauce (butter, brown sugar, whipping cream and vanilla extract) and drizzled it over the top, which made a wonderful glaze but didn’t obscure the beautiful pineapple/cherry design. I baked the tester for 20 minutes and it turned out perfectly and tasted delicious. I thought it had great texture and I did not find it dry at all, however, I think it would be better with either a caramel sauce on the side or more brown sugar and butter in the topping. I was told earlier today that everyone loved the cake and it was a big hit. I followed the recipe exactly and would not change a thing except to add more brown sugar/butter in the topping next time, or use dark brown sugar. I used light for this one. I have made a lot of Sally recipes and I have never had one to fail and never had one that was not wonderful and delicious and this one did not disappoint. All the pineapple upside down cakes I have ever had or made were made with boxed cake mix. It’s not bad, but, there’s something special about having it made from scratch, in my opinion. I also made Sally’s Triple Chocolate Layer Cake yesterday. I followed the cake recipe exactly, however, I prefer a chocolate cream cheese frosting, so, I made that one change but that was all, plus, my garnish was different than the recipe. Instead of decorating it with chocolate chips, I poured a layer of chocolate ganache (semi-sweet chocolate chips, whipping cream and vanilla extract) over the top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides. I put a few white chocolate curls on top for garnish. This cake was also for someone else, so, I made a tester. It is the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever found. Everyone loved it and it is the only chocolate cake recipe I will ever use. I hope this helps for future reference.
★★★★★
I have a 9 inch cake pan that is 3 inches deep would that be too big for the pineapple upside down cake?
Hi Carolyn, that pan should work for this cake. Enjoy!
I was wondering if there would be a sugarless version of this recipe. Kindly share you inputs!
Hi Priya! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
I made this cake for Easter dinner. It was lovely! I didn’t have cake flour and didn’t see directions for the substitution using flour and cornstarch, so I used King Arthur all-purpose flour. The texture and taste is excellent. I could eat the whole cake myself.
★★★★★
I made this pineapple upside down cake this week for my sister’s birthday. My old mixer does not have a paddle or whisk so I just used the regular beater attachments. I accidentally bought low-fat sour cream so I used that instead of regular sour cream. I only keep almond milk, so I used that instead of whole milk. I weighed the cake flour and the sugar.
The batter was thick, fluffy, and tasty and filled my 8″ square ceramic cake pan with the gently sloping sides. The batter did not overflow while baking uncovered 22 minutes, tented 22 minutes. The center was raw so I added 15 minutes additional baking time, 10 more minutes after untenting, then 5 more minutes tented with a square cut in the center to expose the middle of the cake. Cooled it 20 minutes then turned it out on a plate.
The cake was delicious but my sister wanted more gooey pineapple-brown sugar-butter topping so next time I will try it with well-drained crushed pineapple.
★★★★★
OOPS! I guess I should specify I used the 30-calorie per serving unsweetened vanilla almond milk in this cake.
Made the updated recipe today; marvellous! My wife loved it. Used fresh pineapple. Stayed together after cooling without excessive liquid. Tasted delicious and looked great. Another first for my Covid hibernation. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Just wanted to share that for my birthday every year my sister makes a pineapple upside down cake. Last year we decided to bake it in a Bundt pan. It was absolutely gorgeous! We put the pineapple and cherries along the ridges and it came out perfect.
Hi Sally,
What do you think would happen if I tried baking the Pineapple Upside Down cake with my oven setting turned to convection?
Hi Mimi, all of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake. Hope this helps!
Wow, amazing recipe, really pleased with the results. The darker bits on the picture are like toffee, lovely and crunchy whilst the sponge is moist. 10/10 btw I used fresh pineapple as I could only get pineapple chunks it worked a treat because the rest was so sweet.
★★★★★
I made this cake as just a cake in an 8” cake pan, and since my kids don’t like pineapple and I don’t need to eat a whole cake alone, I made your caramel corn syrup (reduced) and poured that over the top. It’s kind of amazing. Cannot recommend it more.
★★★★★
I’m curious If I can reduce the amount of milk slightly and sub in some of the pineapple juice?
Hi Carly, absolutely, feel free to replace some of the whole milk with pineapple juice.
Another great recipe! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Can I sub buttermilk for the milk?
Hi Abra, yes, buttermilk works instead of the whole milk.
How much should cake batter be increased to use 9×13 pan!
Hi Carol, we fear there will be way too much cake batter if you doubled the recipe for one 9×13 pan. We would double the recipe, fill the pan only about halfway with the batter and use extra for cupcakes (about 18-20 minutes bake time for the cupcakes). We’re unsure of the bake time for the 9×13 cake. Hope this helps!
Do you know if this can be made in a Bundt pan? Have you tried it?
Hi Joelle, a Bundt pan would work. You may want to cool it for a little longer before inverting it. The bake time might be a little shorter, but it’s hard for us to say without testing it. Let us know how it goes!
Is it possible to make these as cupcakes?
Hi Alby, can’t see why not! We’re unsure of the bake time needed for cupcakes but use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Do cupcakes usually take more or less time, typically, than cake? I guess I’ll check a box mix and see. I’ll start at a lower end and see what happens!! Thanks!
They should take less time — we’d recommend checking around the 18-20 minute mark, but keep a close eye on them!
Hi so I went ahead and made it it turned perfectly! I couldn’t figure out how to attach a pic so I tagged you on insta!
★★★★★
Tried the new version, came out perfect, sweet but not sickeningly so as many cakes are. I’m a new baker and found your instructions easy to follow and replicate, my mom who isn’t a cake person said it was the best cake she’sever had. Thank you!
★★★★★