I found this pineapple upside down cake recipe in one of my Big Mama’s old handwritten recipe notebooks years ago, and it has never stirred me wrong. It has a moist soft sponge cake base that gets soaked with that caramelized pineapple juice as it bakes. Make it in a cast iron skillet like my mama used to do for the best results. It’s our secret.
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Video Tutorial
How to Make Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, eggs and pineapple juice until well mixed.
- Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. When it’s melted, whisk in the brown sugar and cook for 1 minute.
- Place 6 to 7 pineapple rings over the top of the melted butter and brown sugar mixture and cook over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour the cake batter over the top of the pineapple rings.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for 10 minutes then invert the cake onto a serving plate.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 6-7 fresh pineapple rings or more to create design
- maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- For the cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, eggs and pineapple juice until well mixed. Set aside.
- Next melt butter to a 9 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Once melted, whisk in brown sugar and cook for 1 minute.
- Line the bottom of the butter and sugar mixture with 6 to 7 pineapple rings, place a cherry insdie each ring and cook over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour cake batter on top of the pineapples.
- Bake cake for 28-33 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Cool cake for 10 minutes then invert the cake onto a serving plate and serve.
Video
Notes
- Use the Right Equipment: A cast-iron skillet is your best friend for this pineapple upside down cake recipe, y’all. It cooks everything up nice and even, and its heavy bottom keeps the butter from burning. Plus, that handy handle makes flipping the cake a breeze.
- Season Your Skillet: Make sure your cast-iron is properly seasoned so the cake doesn’t stick. You want that beautiful pineapple top to slide right out, not get left behind!
- Serve Warm: This cake is at its absolute best fresh out of the oven, cooled just for a few minutes. When it’s warm, it’s pure perfection.
- Slice Pineapple: If you’re using fresh pineapple, make sure those slices are cut nice and thin so they cook up tender and juicy in the time it takes to bake the cake.
How to Store Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Boos, let me tell you, there’s nothing like savoring this cake fresh out the oven. But hey, we all need a little sweetness on standby, right? So, if you’ve got some of this scrumptious pineapple cake left over, here’s the deal:- Fridge: Let it cool all the way down, then wrap it tight in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and pop it in the fridge. When properly stored, your classic pineapple upside down cake will last up to five days. Make sure it’s wrapped well to prevent it from drying out!
- Freezer: Wrap individual slices or the whole cake tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container. It’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to indulge, just let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Use the Right Equipment: A cast-iron skillet is your best friend for this pineapple upside down cake recipe, y’all. It cooks everything up evenly and creates that deep caramelization.
- Serve Warm: This cake is at its absolute best fresh out of the oven, cooled just for a few minutes especially with vanilla ice cream. When it’s warm, it’s pure perfection.
- Slice Pineapple: If you’re using fresh pineapple, make sure those slices are cut nice and thin so they cook up tender and juicy in the time it takes to bake the cake.
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I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Recipe Help
Absolutely boo! You can bake this pineapple upside down cake in a 9×9 square pan if you want. Just make sure to grease or spray it well with baking spray. You’ll need to cook the brown sugar, butter, and pineapple in a skillet first, then transfer everything to your square pan. I’d stick with a metal pan rather than glass to get that lovely caramelization on the bottom.
It might be because your pineapple was too juicy. Canned pineapple can have a lot of extra liquid, so make sure to drain it really well before adding it to the skillet.
More Pineapple Recipes
- Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes.
- Pineapple Upside Down Milkshakes
- Grilled Pineapple Donut Sundaes
- Pineapple Whip
- Pineapple Pound Cake
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
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I followed your instructions and the cake turned out amazing. It was moist and flavorful. It also was gone on record time, lol. I will definitely make it again. This was the first pineapple upside down cake recipe I made and also enjoyed. Thanks so much for sharing.
Made this recipe, unfortunately it was extremely sweet. But had good flavor.
I’m sorry you found it too sweet! You can lower the sugar if you prefer.
Another hit! Made this gluten free using King Arthur Measure for Measure flour blend. Baked it in a 12″ skillet so it was thinner than I would have liked but that didn’t stop us from devouring it. I’m thinking about doubling the batter recipe next time I bake it. Better yet, I’ll get a 9″ skillet.
Delicious! First I have ever made from scratch. Highly recommended.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed.
I’ve made this cake before and it was delicious. I tried it again and the pineapples floated to the center of the cake. Do you know what may have cause this to happen?
Hmm, that is odd. I am not sure why they happened.
Can I bake this in a regular 9 inch cake pan?
It was delicious but my cake was dense.
Thank you for the feedback!
do you use a 10 or 12 inch skillet? I only have a 12 inch. Do you think that would work?
I used a 9 inch skillet. You can use a 12 inch, just reduce the cooking time by 5-ish minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Fabulous cake but the step by step instructions didn’t say anything about putting the cherries on it / in it & I didn’t realize it / think about it until I had already poured the batter over the sugar / pineapple.
So sorry about that! I just updated the instructions, thank you for point this out.
This pineapple upside down cake was fabulous! I made it over the weekend and everyone loved it. You are right, the cast iron skillet is the only way to make this cake.