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!
Print
Pineapple 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 (60g) 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
I make pineapple upside down cake about once a year, and holy cow this is the best recipe I have every tried!! The cake itself had so much flavor and was so light and fluffy.
★★★★★
Made two at the same time, In two different cake pans and it was the driest pineapple cake I’ve ever eaten. I’m embarrassed that my name was on this at the bake sale. Followed every instruction to the letter. Just wow.
★
Ok, I love this recipe, but I need some help. So, the other day I made an upside down cake and was not happy with the texture feeling it was too wet and dense. I found you a recipe and today I used your changes. The texture indeed was better, in fact the overall flavor was better I felt. Your recipe also has less butter and sugar on the topping which I felt was a big improvement. However, my cake was puffing up beautifully at about the 35 minute mark. I did not open the oven. I did not do anything. However, when the cake was done it was flat in the center. It completely sunk. Now I’m trying to figure out why. I’m wondering if perhaps I over mix the egg whites into the batter? Is that possible even though I haven’t added the dry ingredients yet? I’m also wondering if I will be better off beating the egg whites to stiff peaks and then folding them in at the end or will that not work with this type of cake? I’m thinking I will try this again in about 2 days but I was hoping to get some input from you in terms of what may have caused this. Thanks for any help you can give me. Again the recipe is fabulous I’m a taste is delicious, but I need to figure out where I screwed up in terms of my cake sinking in the center..
★★★★★
Hi JDauray, thank you so much for giving our recipe a try! Usually when cakes sink, it’s a simple case of slightly under-baking. Make sure to use a toothpick to test for doneness!
the taste was good, very sweet though.. the cake fell apart after cutting into slices.
not impressed
Hi Jane, thanks so much for giving this cake a try. It can be a delicate cake, but make sure it’s not over baked and that the flour isn’t over measured to ensure a light crumb that doesn’t fall apart when sliced. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes may also be helpful to review. Thanks again!
I Love this recipe, however when I flipped it over the cake cracked even though I let it cool for 20 minutes . Any idea why this happened?
Hi Nikki, We’re so glad that you enjoy this cake! The cake has cracked around the pineapples for us before too. We’ve found that happens when the bottom (which bakes as the top) isn’t perfectly level and so as the cake cools, it settles to have a flat bottom and then it cracks a bit on top. Waiting for it to cool a bit longer before flipping could help if you want to try it next time.
I made this recipe for the first time because my daughter wanted it for her birthday cake. It turned out beautiful and tasted great. Made it in a square cake pan Good job!
★★★★★
Hi,
Would it have an impact on the texture of the cake if I increase the topping with 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar? Also would it increase baking time of the cake? I’ve made this delish cake in the past and everyone seemed to want more of the topping 🙂
Cheers!
Hi Ammu, for best results, we do not recommend increasing the topping. We fear this would make the cake much too moist and risk it falling apart. If you do decide to increase the topping, you may want to tinker with the other ingredient amounts as well and use a different size pan. Let us know if you decide to do any experimenting. Glad you enjoy this one!
Made this for my husband and his twin sisters birthday. Everyone loved it and wish I had made more! Thank you very much.
Made this recipe and my friends ate it all, they are begging for more . Can I double the recipe to get a higher cake ?
Hi Jo-Ann, if you’re looking for more servings, we would double the recipe and use a 9×13 pan (rather than filling a deeper round pan). Fill the 9×13 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-inch cake. So glad it was a hit with your friends!
Has anyone made this cake in a Dutch Oven over coals?
Can I make this cake the day before the party?
Would I leave it in the pie pan then invert it on the day of, just before party?
Hi Patty! 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 – see recipe Notes for more details.
I loved this cake it turned out amazing. If I wanted to have more of the caramel topping (same amount of fruit) could I just increase the butter and brown sugar? Do I need to adjust anything else? Thanks
★★★★★
Hi Katie, we’re so glad you enjoyed this! You can increase the amount of topping you make!
Hello! I made this cake last year for a pig roast and it was of course a huge hit! Question, I would like to make it a 9×12 cake instead. If using your notes on how to adjust a cake recipe to pan size will it work on this cake? Or will it not apply because there is a lot more moisture with the fruit? Maybe I should just make two? Decisions, decisions!
★★★★★
Hi Rachel, for a 9×13-inch 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-inch cake.
Can I use this same recipe for cupcakes?
Hi Raquel, you can certainly turn these into cupcakes by 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!
This Morning, I made this Pineapple Upside-Down Cake in a Square Baking Dish. As I made this Delicious Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, I added a dash of Vanilla Extract to give the Cake more flavor. Before I preheated my oven at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit, I sprayed the sides of my Square Baking Dish, so that the cake doesn’t burn.
Terrific recipe! Had such a great time making this with my girls for my birthday! I have always wanted to make a pineapple upside down cake and this hit the spot!
★★★★★
Fantastic! Everyone commented how it was just the right sweetness and the cake was very airy and yum. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I absolutely love this recipe and many others in your collection. Loved this cake before and after you recommended the new recipe. Your old recipe for this cake was the first cake I ever baked so it will always remain special! Thank you for sharing and for making my baking journey so delicious and helpful.
Quick question: do you have any tried and tested egg substitutes for this bake? I have used applesauce and/or yogurt with other cakes in the past but figured I would ask you about your own recipe. Thanks in advance
Hi Sayali, thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes! We don’t have much experience baking with egg substitutes, so can’t offer much guidance, but many readers report success baking with “flax egg” substitutes.
If i wanted to make this cake in a 9 x 13 dish for a larger crowd, would I 1 1/2 your recipe to accommodate for the large dish
Hi Nancy, for a 9×13-inch 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-inch cake.
Hearing that I’d have leftover batter when doubling this recipe for a 13 x 9 dish, I decided to use my 15 x 11 glass baking dish, using all the batter…. It turned out perfect, baking for 50 min… cooling now… can’t wait to bring it to the Party.
★★★★★
I’m not usually a fan of pineapple upside down cake, but this recipe certainly changed my attitude. Excellent.
★★★★★