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 originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips. I also made a few small changes to the recipe to produce a softer cake and a reduced amount of batter. These changes are reflected in the printable recipe card below.
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!
One reader, Julia, commented: “So moist, buttery, and caramelized! Made this for my father, who grew up eating pineapple upside down cake, and he absolutely loved it. ★★★★★“
One reader, Helene, commented: “I made this pineapple upside down cake yesterday for Father’s Day. I usually use a boxed cake mix. I’ve always had great success with Sally’s recipes, so I decided to try this from scratch cake. The cake was fabulous and tasted much better than a box cake. It was moist, tender, and easy to make. My husband loved it. I will be using this recipe from now on. ★★★★★“
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 (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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This cake turned out phenomenal!
I used less sugar than in the recipe(because my family likes cakes to be less sweet) and added coconut, it is delicious and so on point! The cake is moist, and a little caramelized.
Truly a must try
Great recipe! I made the batter with a stand mixer following your instructions, whipping the butter for about a minute, then adding and creaming the sugar, and in particular really giving it a good 1-2 minutes of high speed mix after adding the egg whites. Cooked it in a 9″ cake pan and wow was it both fluffy and delicious : ) The amount of pineapple juice in the cake batter gives it a perfect hint of pineapple flavor.
Made this cake for my group Bible study the guys loved it. The only thing is I left the cherries out because one of the members don’t like cherries
I’ve made this twice and both times it has tasted amazing!! However both times I have had the same problem where right after I flip the cake it cracks/splits right along the edges of the pineapple which makes it a lot less visually appealing. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Hayley, 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. Glad you still enjoyed the cake!
Hi! Can I double this recipe for a 9×13 size cake? Thank you!
Hi Sarah, yes, you can double the recipe for a 9×13-inch pan. Fill the 9×13-inch 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. Hope it’s a hit!
I baked it in a bundt pan bc I realized at the last minute that my 9-in cake pan was too shallow. Turned out beautifully—moist and fluffy!
I have made this recipe several times over the years and it is absolutely divine. Thank you for yet another amazing recipe Sally!
Can I use buttercream instead of sour cream, sour cream tends to make the cakes really dense and I do not like that uncertain cakes
Hi Lucia, you can use buttermilk to replace both the sour cream and whole milk (2/3 cup total).
How far ahead could I make this (days?), and how would I store it?
Hi Samantha, see the Recipe Notes for complete make ahead instructions. Once made, slices can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or 3 months in the freezer, thawing at room temperature before serving. We don’t recommend freezing the cake as a whole because the topping arrangement doesn’t thaw very nicely.
I absolutely love this recipe. I made it for my family and everyone loved it. Demolished it the same day.
I would like to make a strawberry upside down cake using the batter from this recipe. Any suggestions for what to replace the pineapple juice with? Or can I substitute milk in place of the juice?
Hi Noe, we’re so glad you loved this recipe. It’s hard to say what changes would be needed to make a strawberry version. Let us know what you try and how it turns out!
Could I use browned butter in the recipe? Do you think the taste would be just as good?
Hi Elizabeth, you can certainly try it! For the butter in the cake, you’ll want to make sure it comes back to a solid state before using so that it can be properly creamed. This post on how to brown butter will also be helpful for accounting for a loss of moisture. Let us know if you try it!
Can you sub half and half for milk ?
Hi Marcie, I don’t recommend it. This is already a dense cake and half-and-half won’t be doing the texture any favors.
this is a great recipe I love the pinapple upside down cake it is moist and dence I added cinaminn on top and it tasted great love your recipes sorry about the spelling
I love this cake so much. I made a half batch with a smaller pryex bowl that is oven safe. The cake was so moist (but not soggy) and had just the right amount of brown sugar. Amazing!
Hi Sally,
What adjustments do I make it I want to do this a pineapple upside down Bundt cake?
Hi Cristi, 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!
My entire family loves this recipe! Delicious and moist, the first time I made this it was gone in two days and I just pulled my second attempt out of the oven. I do have a question regarding how much it cracks in the oven, mine has had some pretty large deep cracks in the top (or bottom once its flipped) and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong or if I’m doing anything wrong at all, but the cracks definitely seem larger than the ones shown in the images here. The first time I made the cake I used yogurt instead of sour cream (because that’s what we had in the house) and I wondered if that might have been part of it, so I followed the recipe to the letter this time and the cracks are just as large as last time. It could also be due to my oven; it’s probably over a decade or two old and I’m fairly sure it doesn’t always give even heat. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
Hi Chelsea, 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. Glad you still enjoyed the cake!
Made 12 cupcakes. Perfect. Didn’t change anything in the recipe. Same oven temp, just about 22-24 minutes. Checked them at 18 min, needed a few more minutes. Delicious! Split the brown sugar and butter amongst the cupcake molds. Cut up the pineapple rings so they fit.
Hi! I like that there is usually directions on how to turn a full size item into a smaller individual serving. Which is great for parties! I have recently seen videos of people making upside cakes using cupcake pans. Do you have any advice for making this recipe into cupcake?
Hi Kristin, 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!
I’m hoping to make this for the 4th of July. I am using 10oz small baking dishes to have individual cakes. My mother did this but I can’t find her recipe. Does that change the temp and time for baking? I am using her old Pyrex 10 oz custard-type baking dishes.
Hi Terri, we haven’t tested this recipe in that particular sized pan, but we can’t see why that wouldn’t work. Same temperature, but baking time will be a bit shorter. Hope they’re a hit!
My version: Spiced Pear Upside Down Cake
It’s no secret that Sally’s cake recipes are the best (big fan of using her cake recipes as bases to whatever I want to do)
I used seasonal fresh pears, added spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves), used the whole egg (not just egg white), and pureed a pear to sub in for the pineapple juice liquid, and ran out of flour so used 40g almond flour alongside the normal flour. Despite all the changes, it worked out perfectly! This cake is SO delicious. Will be trying it with pineapple when it’s available.
It was 95°F outside and humid. So, I thought to myself, some nice cool watermelon would be a treat right now. I trotted over to the local deli and the pile of watermelons they had had there yesterday had vanished. So, I bought the next best thing, a pineapple. It’s been decades since I last bought a fresh pineapple but a little searching showed me how to peel and dice one. I did that and ended up with a huge pile of pineapple chunks. Now what? Another search turned up Sally’s recipe. I’ve had great success with her cakes, pizza dough, muffins and breads so I decided to try it out. I had no cherries, let alone maraschino cherries, so back to the deli. They had no cherries, not even for ready money, so back to the drawing board. I had pineapple chunks, not rings, and no cherries. I decided that to go with chunks and little dashes of lingonberry jam instead.
The batter came together beautifully and I poured it over the pineapple base. 40 minutes later a perfect looking cake emerged from the oven.
I tested the center with a toothpick and it came out a bit sticky. I attributed that to the moisture of the base and went off for an hour of recreation while the cake cooled. When I got back, I cut a slice and the center was still doughy. I hate it when that happens, but usually the cake is warm enough that I can stick it back in the oven. But, cold cake? Well, I turned the oven back on to 350°. cleaned the pie dish, inverted the pie back into the dish, and gave it ten minutes.
That worked so well that the cake has vanished, I went to get a slice just now and the plastic container contained nothing but crumbs. Guess I need to buy another pineapple.
Can you double it to 8 1/2 by 11 pan?
Hi Annie, yes, you can double the recipe for that pan. 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 cake. Hope it’s a hit!
So moist, buttery, and caramelized! Made this for my father, who grew up eating Pineapple Upside Down cake, and he absolutely loved it. Next time, I might try a bourbon vanilla instead of normal.
Can you use this to make cupcake version? I’m sure that the baking time is less but was wondering if the texture of the batter would work for cupcakes. Thanks!
Hi Sandy, 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!
The cake came out really tasty but the sugar on top did not caramelize. Could you help me?
Hi Cheryl, did the topping solidify or harden before the cake batter was poured in? I wonder if it “set” and then didn’t really cook or caramelize properly.
I made this pineapple upside down cake yesterday for Father’s Day. I usually use a boxed cake mix or Bisquick. I’ve always had great success with Sally’s recipes, so I decided to try this from scratch cake. The cake was fabulous and tasted much better than a box cake. It was moist, tender and easy to make. My husband loved it. I will be using this recipe from now on.
This was positively divine! Pineapple upside down cake is my hubby’s favorite, and I’ve made a lot of them over 46 years of marriage. This is the very best recipe I’ve used. It’s moist and tender despite the fact that it tends to be more dense than other cakes. Definitely use high-sided pans and save yourself from the sore throat and lung-wracking cough of smoke inhalation. Ask me how I know. 😉 You cannot possibly make a better pineapple upside down cake this side of bakery heaven. Thanks for the stellar recipe!
Great every time! My only tweek was to drizzle a little Gran Marnier over the pineapple brown sugar base prior to pouring in the batter. Maybe a splash in the batter too, lol. I think it gives it a lil more of an adult feel to this retro classic
This cake was not sweet enough. Kind of just tasted like flour and it was incredibly dry.
I am going to try your recipe. Can ypu substitute buttermilk for sour cream ans milk? And how much?
Hi Lynn, you can use buttermilk to replace both the sour cream and whole milk (2/3 cup total).