Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

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.

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Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Wow your friends and family with this classic pineapple upside-down cake. With tasting notes that boast fruity, gooey, caramelly goodness, it’s no wonder why this has been a must-make favorite for generations. In our Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake recipe, save yourself some time with a fool-proof shortcut. With a box of Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Yellow Cake Mix, you can have this impressive dessert prepped for the oven in just 15 minutes. With step-by-step directions, Betty’s with you every step of the way in this incredible upside-down pineapple cake. Now just bake, flip and enjoy!

Prep: 15min

Total: 1h50min

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1/12 of Cake

Nutrition Facts: calories 380 , Carbohydrate 57 g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Fat 3 , Fiber 0 g, Protein 3 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, servingSize 1/12 of Cake, Sodium 310 mg, Sugar 41 g, Trans Fat 0 g

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved
• 1 jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained
• 1 box (15.25 oz) Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Yellow Cake Mix
• Vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

Instruction:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 13×9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.
2. Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
3. Bake 42 to 48 minutes (44 to 53 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Can you imagine a world without pineapple upside-down cake? Neither can we! And this recipe is by far the greatest of all time. Brown sugar and butter create a rich, caramel glaze that coats juicy pineapple rings, maraschino cherries and a golden-brown cake—what’s not to love? But the true secret to this cake’s beauty is in the “flip” that happens when you remove it from the oven. It might sound intimidating, but it’s so much easier than you think! The result is a picture-perfect upside-down pineapple cake made from scratch.

Prep: 15min

Total: 1h10min

Yield: 9

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 390 , Carbohydrate 62 g, Cholesterol 40 mg, Fat 2 1/2 , Fiber 1 g, Protein 4 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, servingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 270 mg

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 9 slices pineapple in juice (from 20-oz can), drained
• 9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
• 1 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg

Instruction:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
2. In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.

Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Who doesn’t love an old fashioned pineapple upside down cake? It is such a classic dessert that always seems to hit the spot. Plus, it is really easy to make – you just need a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. So why not give it a try today? You won’t be disappointed!

Prep: 20min

Total: 1h

Serving Size: 1

Nutrition Facts: calories 356 calories, Carbohydrate 67 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 47 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 10 grams fat, Fiber 5 grams fiber, Protein 4 grams protein, Saturated Fat 6 grams saturated fat, servingSize 1, Sodium 184 milligrams sodium, Sugar 45 grams sugar, Trans Fat 0 grams trans fat, unSaturated Fat 3 grams unsaturated fat

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 20 ounce can pineapple slices (or fresh pineapple)
• Handful of pitted maraschino cherries
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk

Instruction:

1. Add the brown sugar to the bottom of the pan.
2. Melt butter, pour over the top of the brown sugar, mix together, and spread over the entire dish.
3. Place the pineapples and cherries on top of the brown sugar. (I like to place cherry in the center of each pineapple slice).
4. Start by adding the butter to a large bowl and cream for one minute.
5. Add the sugar and cream again for one more minute.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix together.
7. Add the vanilla and mix together.
8. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Sift into the bowl and mix.
9. Add the milk, mix together, and gently pour cake batter over pineapple.
10. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
11. Let cake cool to room temperature and turn cake upside down onto a cake plate.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

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.

Prep: 25min

Total: 1h30min

Yield: 8

Ingredients:

• 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)*
• 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

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
2. 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.
3. Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
4. 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.
5. Remove topping from the refrigerator. Pour and spread cake batter evenly over topping.
6. 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!)
7. 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.
8. 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.

The BEST Pineapple Upside Down Cake

FAQ

What is the trick to flipping pineapple upside down cake?

Can I use pineapple juice instead of water in a cake mix?

Why is my pineapple upside down cake soggy in the middle?