My easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe has received hundreds of 5-star reviews, and for good reason! Made with a soft, fluffy, and simple vanilla cake base and a beautiful crown of caramelized pineapple and maraschino cherries, this classic recipe is slated to be a staple in your baking repertoire. Includes a how-to video.
The Perfect Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
There are a lot of cake recipes on this blog, and a fair share of unique cake recipes as well (zebra cake and my ice cream cake certainly come to mind). However, I’m not sure any is quite as unique and demanding of attention as this pineapple upside down cake.
A true showstopper, it’s a moist and flavorful vanilla cake crowned with golden, caramelized pineapple rings and cherry jewels. It’s also surprisingly simple to make and you don’t have to bother with frosting or decorating the same way you would a classic layer cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. No fussy techniques, no fancy ingredients, this recipe is a good one for beginners and well-seasoned bakers alike.
- A true classic. This is the classic dessert you might remember from your childhood.
- It’s beautiful! There’s no denying a freshly flipped upside-down cake is a sight to behold; both its beauty and taste make it a showstopper for any dessert table.
- Unique. From the unique way in which it’s baked (upside-down!) to the caramelized crown of tropical fruits, this recipe stands out from your basic cake recipe.
I think you’re going to love this one, so let’s get to it.
What You Need
The cake is made of basic pantry staples, nothing fussy, fancy, or difficult to find, and the beautiful bottom-turned-top is a stunning crown of caramelized fruit. You’ll recognize most of the ingredients, but as you know I like to discuss them a bit before we get to the baking.
- Pineapple Rings. You can use fresh or canned rings. Canned are the traditional and easier choice, and are what I use here.
- Maraschino cherries. Don’t substitute fresh cherries. Maraschino cherries add classic are essential as they’re soaked in a syrup that lends much flavor to the surface of the cake. If you do opt to substitute a fresh cherry, just expect a different flavor.
- Sugar. The topping is made with light brown sugar, which lends a subtle rich flavor to the caramelized topping (thanks to the small amount of molasses in the sugar). The cake uses only granulated sugar.
- Flour. I use all-purpose flour, but you may substitute cake flour. If doing so, how you substitute depends on how you weigh your ingredients. If you use a scale, the weight will be the same for cake flour, but if you are using a measuring cup, you will need a bit more cake flour than the recipe calls for. Here is a helpful resource for substituting cake flour for all-purpose flour.
- Milk. My preference is to use milk in the cake batter. I’ve tried the recipe with pineapple juice (leftover juice from the can of pineapple slices) and did not enjoy the cake as much when made this way. However, a number of readers have written that they’ve substituted all or half of the milk with pineapple juice and enjoyed it that way, so feel free to experiment!
SAM’S TIP: Make sure to blot your pineapple slices well with paper towels before placing them in your pie plate. This will absorb any excess liquid. If you skip this step it could make your cake soggy.
This section is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why (for those of you who are as nerdy about what goes into making a cake as I am!). For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make the Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake
The steps are simple and straightforward and I don’t think you’ll struggle, but let’s go over them before we begin:
- Prepare your pan. Pour melted butter into the pie plate and make sure you spoon or brush a bit up the sides of the plate as well. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly overtop the butter.
- Layer the fruit. Arrange the pineapple rings and cherries over the pie plate and around the edge, too.
- Make the cake batter. This is a simple but sturdy vanilla cake batter (the same one used for my marble cake) that you’ll make by creaming the sugar and butter, adding eggs and vanilla, then gradually alternating adding the dry ingredients and milk until the batter is combined.
- Bake. To avoid the cake over-browning, you’ll want to check it at the 30 minute mark and loosely tent with foil (I also use this technique in my banana cake).
- Flip & serve. Let the cake cool for just 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter (more on that below). Don’t let the cake cool too long, or it may stick to the pie plate.
Avoid a too-dense, dry cake: This recipe is a bit denser than your average cake (it must be to not collapse under the weight of the fruit once flipped) but it should not feel too dense or dry. There are two culprits to watch for that could cause your cake to turn out this way: 1) Over-mixing the dry ingredients (just stir until the wet and dry ingredients are combined, don’t overdo it!) and 2) over-baking the cake. Even a few minutes too long in the oven can make your cake dense and dry. Some ovens also run hotter than they say they are, so watch for that too as this can cause your cake to cook too fast and dry out!
How to Flip this Cake
This was a popular question when I first published this cake and I want to address it here (though I also show how to flip the cake in my video). The biggest takeaways should be to make sure you use oven mitts and use a plate that’s larger than your cake so that any juices don’t run off the side!
- Allow your cake to cool for 10-15 minutes before you attempt inversion. If any of the cake has baked into the edge of your pie plate or cake pan, first use a knife to gently loosen the edges and free them from the pan.
- Place your cake platter (or any plate thatโs larger than your cake) over the pan โ plate surface should be facing your vanilla cake layer.
- Using oven mitts (it will be hot!) carefully and firmly grip both the side of the cake platter and the cake pan on either side.
- Carefully but quickly flip everything over so that the bottom of the cake pan is facing upwards, and then set down your cake platter and carefully remove the cake pan (careful, it will still be hot!)
And that is it! This cake tastes best warm, so while you still want it to cool a bit, I donโt recommend waiting too long to dig in or making it very far in advance of serving!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Many of my readers have baked their own cakes in 9-10″ cast iron skillets instead of the pie plate. One thing worth noting is that the baking time will likely be shorter, as cast iron will cook much faster. Keep an eye on your cake if baking this way and check it sooner than indicated in the recipe.
The butter and sugar coating should keep the cake from sticking to the pan. However, before flipping the cake I like to take a butter knife and, if any place where I see actual cake (not fruit) making contact with the pie plate, I gently loosen it so that it won’t stick. The fruit should also come out quite easily, but if a ring or tow sticks, no big deal, just gently pry it from the pie plate and place it back on the top of the cake, there should be a clear indent showing you exactly where it belongs. โบ๏ธ
When served warm and fresh, the top of the cake will be quite moist, but it should never be described as soggy. If your cake seems downright soggy it may be that the pineapple slices weren’t properly blotted before being placed in the pie plate. That extra moisture can make the cake too moist and soggy. I also find the cake becomes more soggy as it sits, so I recommend serving not long after preparing.
This cake really does taste best warm and it’s one of a few recipes where I personally don’t enjoy the leftovers. If you must store it, keep it covered in the fridge where it will keep for several days, but it is a moist cake and will become a bit soggier as it sits. Such is life!
Enjoy!
Letโs bake together! Iโll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Topping
- ยผ cup (60 g) salted butter melted
- ยฝ cup (100 g) brown sugar light or dark (I usually use light) tightly packed
- 10 pineapple slices patted dry (a 20oz can is typically enough)
- maraschino cherries
Vanilla Cake
- ยฝ cup (115 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ยพ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ยฝ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ cup (120 ml) whole milk room temperature preferred
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
- Pour melted butter into 9.5-10" pie plate or deep cake pan, make sure it entirely covers the bottom of the pan and use a spoon or spatula to grease the sides of the pan.ยผ cup (60 g) salted butter
- Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter mixture. Arrange pineapple slices over the bottom of the pan, slice leftover slices in half and arrange up the sides of the pan, as seen in photo.ยฝ cup (100 g) brown sugar, 10 pineapple slices
- Place cherries in center of pineapple rings and as desired in empty spaces. Set aside.maraschino cherries
- To prepare vanilla cake, beat butter and sugar in medium-sized bowl until creamy and well-combined.ยฝ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, ยพ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, beating one at a time until combined.2 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.1 ยฝ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, ยผ teaspoon salt
- Alternate adding flour and milk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with flour and mixing until just combined after each addition (I prefer to do this part by hand with a spatula to be sure not to overmix).ยฝ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- Pour batter evenly over prepared cake pan over the pineapple/cherry layer. ย
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 30 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, loosely cover with foil and continue to bake (still on 350F/175C) for another 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with few crumbs (total cook time for cake will be 45 minutes).
- Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and then carefully invert cake onto serving platter (careful, it will still be very hot!).
- Allow to cool before cutting and enjoying, but don’t wait too long as this cake tastes wonderful (best!) warm from the oven!
Notes
Milk
I use and recommend whole milk, but many readers have substituted lower-fat milk or almond milk with success. Some readers have substituted the milk in this recipe with pineapple juice, I think the difference in taste is negligible and prefer the texture of the cake when made with milk, but it can be done.Gluten Free
Readers have commented that they have successfully made this recipe by using a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose gluten free cup4cup flour.Serving & Storing
Pineapple upside-down cake tastes best fresh and doesn’t keep as well as most layer cakes. However, if you wish to keep it, cover it with foil or plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days. You may also wrap tightly and freeze for several weeks.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally shared this recipe in 2017. It has been updated to include more helpful photos, notes, and information and a new video, but the recipe remains the same.
Dre
Hi Sam,
I’m looking forward to trying your recipe and I’m curious…can this work using a 9″ cast iron skillet?
Thanks!
Sam
A cast iron skillet will work just fine here. You may need a few minutes less in the oven. ๐
JJ
I love this recipe as is and has become a family favorite…. I’m not sure if this has been asked, but if the bake times were adjusted, can I make these into cupcakes? If so, would I use the same technique or would I line the tins with liners? Thank you so much for sharing!
Sam
Hi JJ! I’m so glad everyone has enjoyed! I think these would work as cupcakes, I would probably not line them, though, as the liner would absorb the butter and ultimately ruin the effect. Instead would use the same technique as is listed in the recipe. I hope that helps!
N. Yung
Super easy and very delicious! My family loved it!
Saloni
Can I substitute the milk for pineapple syrup ? Or would that change the texture of the cake ?
Sam
Hi Saloni! Unfortunately I haven’t tried it to say for sure. I wasn’t very happy with how pineapple juice worked instead of the milk, but I can’t say for sure about pineapple syrup.
Saloni Habil
Hi, so I did 1/4 cup pineapple juice and 1/4 cup milk and it came out great! It barely lasted a day in my house.
My only problem was that it didnโt come out as fluffy as I wanted. Any suggestions as to what I did wrong?
Sam
I’m so glad you ultimately enjoyed it! The pineapple juice may have something to do with the cake not being quite as fluffy, but more likely the cake may have been over or under mixed. It could also have needed a few more minutes in the oven. I hope this helps for next time. ๐
Myra
I fully swapped the pineapple syrup for the milk and loved not only how my cake came out but the batter was soooo good lol. I crave the batter now! This recipe is a keeper.
Jon
This cake was spectacular. When it came to the cake part, I changed a couple things. First I mixed all the dry ingredients. Melted the butter. Used 1/4 cup milk and a 1/4 cup pineapple juice from the can. Poured all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mixed just until everything was incorporated. then poured over the toppings in a 13×9 glass baking dish. Perfection.
Kijeh
Thanks for your receipe. Definately will try it out. Why use a foil for the last 15mins ? Will it still turn out fine if i dont usr a foil
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Foil prevents the cake from getting too brown and drying out. We recommend using it just to be safe!
Micah
I made this twice and it was so amazing both times. The 2nd time I made 2 cakes because one disappears so quick ๐
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow! We love hearing that, Micah ๐ Thank you so much for commenting. Enjoy the cake, while it lasts!
Mel
Hi Sam
I want to try this cake for my sister’s birthday but the final steps of adding the flour and milk seems a bit tricky. Can I use cake mix?
Sam
Hi Mel! While it is absolutely possible to make pineapple upside down cake using cake mix, it won’t taste nearly the same, unfortunately. If you haven’t already, I would recommend taking a peek at the how-to video in the recipe card, here I walk through the steps and show how I add the flour and milk. I hope that helps!
Lindsay Kuklish-Grove
This recipe was a hit for my sister in lawโs birthday! Everyone loved it and it worked quite well to double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 pan. Plus it was still beautiful! I served it with vanilla ice cream and it was delicious.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy everyone loved it, Lindsay! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out for you. โค๏ธ
Terri
Iโm going to make this cake this afternoon. I live in Denver – we have to adjust some cakes because of altitude. Do you know if I need to change anything?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Terri! Unfortunately we don’t have experience with high altitude baking. ๐ Hopefully someone who does can chime in.
Al Norris
Hi Terri and Emily!
I live at 4500 feet elevation. Not quite as high as Denver, but close. In all my baking, I have learned to add just a bit more flour to these recipes. Since we started with 1 1/2 cups flour, I added 2 tablespoons extra flour. Why? The higher you are, water boils at a lower temperature (it has to do with air pressure). Because of this, you need a little bit more dry ingredients to absorb the liquid and counter the lower temp. Terri, you might find that 3 tablespoons of flour works better for you, but try the 2 extra tablespoons first. Not a lot of difference in barometric pressure between 4500 feet and 5200 feet. Cooking times remain the same. Emily? Simply a wonderfully easy recipe. Thanks!!!
Jill Richardi
Do you have a high altitude adjustment I can follow?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jill! Unfortunately we’re not familiar with high altitude baking so we canโt advise exactly what would need to be changed here. Hopefully someone else can chime in. ๐
Lindsay Kuklish-Grove
I havenโt made this yet, but I will this afternoon for my sister in laws birthday. I will be serving several people and Iโm concerned this wonโt be enough. I had two thoughts, double the recipe and make it two tiered. But I feel that might be risky given Iโve never made this type of cake and it sounds like the texture is different than a traditional cake. Or doubling the recipe and using a sheet cake pan. Any suggestions? Have you tried either? Thank you ๐
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lindsay! Others have had success with doubling the recipe and using a 9×13 pan. We wouldn’t suggest stacking this cake. Let us know how it turns out for you–we hope your sister-in-law loves it! ๐
Taylor Ertz
Hi! Would I be able to put this in a spring form pan? I’ve never made this cake but have a couple of pineapples I need to use!
Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Taylor! As long as you pan holds all of the batter you shouldnโt have any issues. ๐ Enjoy!
Hannah
All I can say is WOW! This recipe is the best. The vanilla cake is perfectly fluffy and the flavor is wonderful. The cooked pineapple and the syrup it makes is delicious. I used fresh pineapple instead of canned and it worked out really well.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you loved it, Hannah! ๐
Tammy
I loved this recipe! My dad made Pineapple Upside Down cakes every Saturday so Iโm picky. The cake itself turned out perfect and had almost a Twinkie like texture. Dad added more brown sugar but I really thought this was sweet enough. Maybe the trick for tge texture was to hand incorporate the flour/milk.. but whatever it was – it was delightfully beautiful. Sent a pic to my daughter and she wanted to make it too. Thanks for the memories of dads PUDCs. โบ๏ธ
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Aw, we’re so glad this brought back fond memories for you, Tammy โค๏ธ Thanks so much for letting us know how it turned out for you!
LTB (love to bake)
Made this cake this afternoon and if I hadn’t already had dinner, I would’ve eaten half of it. Followed directions as above, a touch less on the brown sugar but everything else the same. Awesome cake. Will definitely make again. Thank you.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, thank you so much for commenting!
Katie
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I just made it! I let it cool for about 15 mins and flipped it! After about a few mins it fell apart! Any ideas why!
Sam
O no I’m so sorry that happened, Katie! A few things that could happen here, it could have needed a bit more time in the oven, it may have been over-baked, or it may have needed a bit more time to cool. It’s really tough to say. I’m so sorry this happened. ๐
Katie
Oh no worries my boyfriend LOVED IT!! Iโve never made a butter cake before, it was so yummy! Itโs was pretty much intact as long as you didnโt look to close lol!!! Thank you again for sharing the recipe