Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic dessert recipe that’s stood the test of time. With a tender, moist yellow cake and a brown sugar and pineapple topping with cherries, it’s no wonder this is a crowd pleasing dessert!

This cake is a family favorite that my mom has been making since I was a little kid. It’s a classic recipe that comes straight from her 60 year old Betty Crocker Cookbook! The yellow cake is Betty’s Dinette Cake, made from scratch with simple ingredients, although you can use a boxed mix if you’re short on time or if baking from scratch makes you a little nervous.

HOW TO MAKE PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

This cake recipe make one 8-inch round Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which will serve about 8 people (depending on the size of your slices!). This cake looks super classy and like you probably spent hours making it perfect, when in reality it’s super simple and took you about an hour.

What ingredients are in Pineapple Upside Down Cake?

You’ll need pineapple slices (not tidbits or chunks or crushed) (aff), maraschino cherries, and other pantry ingredients that you probably already have on hand, like eggs, flour and brown sugar. I like to use the round cake pan, but a square would work just as well.

Pineapple slices are placed in the bottom of the pan, and cherries in the centers of the pineapple. A brown sugar and butter mixture is poured over the pineapple. This all forms the topping. The cake batter is mixed and then poured on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Then the magic happens!

Take a cake platter (or any FLAT surface – careful not to use a plate that slopes up on the sides) and place it upside down over the top of the cake pan. Holding the pan and the platter together, carefully flip it over (invert) and give it a gentle shake. The cake should release from the pan and land right on your platter. And it will look like this:

Ooey gooey brown sugar-y topping all ready for you to dig in!

Do you have to refrigerate Pineapple Upside Down Cake?

I personally prefer all cakes to be refrigerated. They just hold together better and I like the texture. This Pineapple Upside Down Cake should be refrigerated. Use a cake container if you have one, or if your cake is on a platter, place toothpicks around the top and cover with plastic wrap or foil before refrigerating.

Here are some more delicious cake recipe to try:

• Strawberry Pound Cake
• Funfetti Sheet Cake
• Walnut Pineapple Cake
• Fresh Strawberry Cake Recipe
• Cinnamon Roll Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

A classic dessert recipe that's a real crowd pleaser!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Kristin

Ingredients

Topping:

• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar packed
• 1 8- ounce can pineapple slices
• 7 maraschino cherries

Cake:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using an 8-inch round layer cake pan, melt butter in the oven.
• Sprinkle brown sugar over the melted butter. Place one pineapple slice in the center of the pan, then arrange the remaining slices around it. Place cherries in the center  of each pineapple slice. 
• In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer, beat cake ingredients on low speed for about 30 seconds, just until combined. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Pour over the fruit in the pan.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. While still hot, invert onto a heatproof cake plate. Let pan remain for a few minutes before removing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the cake