This classic pineapple upside-down cake is moist, buttery, and so delicious! I’ll show you how to make this retro dessert from scratch with tender, spiced vanilla cake layered with golden and caramelized pineapple slices.
It’s one thing to bake a gorgeous pineapple upside-down cake from scratch. But it’s another challenge entirely to bake an upside-down cake that tastes as good as it looks! This classic pineapple upside-down cake is a flavorful, tender cake with a hint of cornmeal and spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, to make it festive. Of course, it has that retro, brown sugar caramelized pineapple topping that everyone loves (without the cherries!). I’ll show you how to make the PERFECT pineapple upside-down cake for Christmas dessert, Easter, or everyday baking.
Why This is The BEST Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Recipe
- Foolproof method. I share my tips for a perfect, golden pineapple topping and buttery, tender sponge. There are no surprises when you flip this cake!
- Perfect for the holidays. This pineapple upside-down cake often finds its way onto our holiday dessert tables. It looks super festive, served alone or topped with salted caramel ice cream.
- Easy ingredients. The best part about a retro upside-down cake is that you can make it year-round with simple ingredients, including canned pineapple (and even a box of cake mix, if you’re looking for a shortcut!).
If you love classic and retro desserts as much as I do, try my easy peach cake, banana cake, and old-fashioned apple dump cake recipes. And you can’t go wrong with homemade carrot cake!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Cake
In addition to a handful of baking staples, you’ll want to pick up a can of pineapple rings or chunks, your favorite spiced rum, and cornmeal to make this pineapple upside-down cake. I’ve included notes on the ingredients below. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe with amounts.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar caramelizes the pineapples perfectly. You could also use granulated sugar if needed, though the golden color won’t be quite the same.
- Unsalted butter – For the cake and pineapple topping. Some would argue that oil makes for a more tender cake crumb, but you can’t beat the flavor of butter, so I use it in both! If you use salted butter, consider leaving out or adding less of the kosher salt in the recipe.
- Rum – Rum adds delicious depth of flavor to the cake and topping. Try not to skip it if you can. Of course, if you’d prefer to bake without alcohol, you can substitute the rum with milk instead.
- Pineapple rings or chunks – Buy pineapple that comes in 100% juice. You’ll drain the pineapple and save the juice to use in the cake layer.
- Cake flour – Like in angel food cake recipes, cake flour is key to a super-soft, tight cake crumb. You can substitute cake flour with all-purpose flour in a pinch. Even better, remove 2 tablespoons from each cup of all-purpose flour, and replace it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to make a quick homemade cake flour substitute.
- Cornmeal – Not a traditional ingredient in upside-down cake recipes, cornmeal adds a super lovely texture to the otherwise velvety batter.
- Baking powder – Check the date on your baking powder package. If it’s old or expired, make sure to replace it with fresh.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon and nutmeg are other not-so-conventional additions to this pineapple upside-down cake. You can substitute these individual spices with apple pie spice for something different.
- Confectioners’ sugar – Tying in with the cake flour in the batter, using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar creates a super-smooth, airy cake.
- Pure vanilla extract – You can go half-and-half with rum extract or almond extract for a deeper flavor profile.
- Eggs and heavy cream – Both of these ingredients should be brought to room temperature.
Wait, Where are the Cherries?
You may have noticed that I make my pineapple upside-down cake without cherries! I’ll often swap the cherries for whole star anise or chopped pecans instead. If you love the traditional look of a cherry-studded pineapple topping, you’ll need a jar of maraschino cherries, too.
How to Make Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
A pineapple upside-down cake gets its name from the fact that the cake is baked upside down! The heat from the bottom of the pan caramelizes the pineapples while the cake is in the oven. Afterward, the cake is inverted onto a plate for serving.
The cake comes together in a few different layers. All of them are easy to make. We’ll start with our pineapple layer, since this will be the bottom-become-top of this classic upside-down cake.
- Prepare for baking. Grease a round cake pan while the oven preheats to 375ºF.
- Make the topping. Next, cream the brown sugar with butter, rum, and a pinch of salt. Spread this mixture into the bottom of your cake pan. At this point, you can place the star anise on top if you’d like.
- Add the pineapple. Arrange the pineapple on top of the brown sugar layer. If you’re adding pecans, sprinkle these over the pineapple.
- Make the cake batter. Now, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing until light and fluffy before adding the eggs. Lastly, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with a mixture of heavy cream, pineapple juice, and rum.
- Fill the pan and bake. Scrape your prepared cake batter into the pan, covering the pineapple topping. Set your upside-down cake on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375ºF for 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
How to Flip a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Last but not least, you’ll flip your cake!
- First, loosen the edges. As soon as the pineapple cake comes out of the oven, run a knife gently around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan.
- Place a plate on top. Place your cake platter, or any plate larger than your cake, over the cake pan, facing downward. Wearing oven mitts (the cake is hot!), firmly grip the sides of the plate and pan with both hands.
- Flip! Quickly and carefully flip the cake over and onto the plate, so the bottom of the cake pan now faces upwards. Carefully remove the hot cake pan. If you can’t quite grasp the cake pan, use a bread knife to lift/nudge the pan away from the cake. Voila! The best upside-down pineapple cake ever.
Tips for the Best Upside-Down Cake
- If using pineapple rings, overlap them around the edge of the batter and then place one in the center. This will use up all the rings and give you pineapple in every bite.
- Always place the cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet before baking. Because of the wet bottom layer, which is actually the top, the cake bakes longer than a typical cake. And the juices will bubble up the sides of the pan to create caramelized edges. While this is definitely a good thing, it can create a mess in your oven if you don’t use a pan to catch those juices. I would even recommend lining the rimmed baking sheet with foil for even easier clean-up!
- If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven with the rimmed baking sheet on top. And then preheat the oven. This creates a “hot bottom” and helps the pineapple topping cook evenly. If you don’t have a stone, just preheat the rimmed baking sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, don’t try substituting canned pineapple with fresh pineapple. The canned pineapple is sweeter and juicier, and makes for a tastier cake. The sugars in canned pineapple also help the fruit caramelize in the high temperatures.
I recommend that you bake this pineapple cake on the same day you plan to serve it. It’s also best enjoyed while it’s still a bit warm from the oven.
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerate. This cake is best enjoyed on the day it’s made. However, you can keep leftover cake stored airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend serving at room temperature.
- Freeze. You can freeze this upside-down cake if you need to, though I’ll always say fresh is best. Double-wrap the cake in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the cake in the fridge before serving.
More Easy Cake Recipes
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
for the topping & pineapple layers:
- ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter very soft but not melted
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons rum
- 3 whole star anise optional
- One 20-ounce can pineapple rings or chunks in 100% juice well drained – reserve the juice
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
for the cake layer:
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
- ⅓ cup cornmeal
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1.75 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature
- ¼ cup canned pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons rum
Instructions
- prep: If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven. Then place a rimmed baking sheet on the stone. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease an 8" round cake pan. (If using a springform pan, line it with a 9-inch piece of greased parchment paper to prevent leaking.)
- for the topping layer: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, and salt until evenly mixed. Add the rum and stir until smooth. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and top with the star anise (if using).
- for the pineapple layer: Arrange the pineapple rings over the mixture. Sprinkle with the pecans (if using). Set aside.
- for the cake layer: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Turn mixer speed to low, add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla to the butter, and mix until incorporated. Then turn the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl regularly for even incorporation.
- Turn mixer speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Scrape the bowl after each addition.
- In a measuring cup, stir together the cream, pineapple juice, and rum.
- Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed, just until combined. Add half of the pineapple juice mixture and mix to incorporate. Repeat with another one-third flour, the remaining liquid, and then finish with the final one-third flour, scraping the bowl and paddle after each addition.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, covering the pineapple. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles.
- Set the pan on the preheated rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the cake is firm and golden, and a tester comes out clean – about 40 minutes or so.
- Remove cake from oven and immediately run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Let cool for about 20 minutes. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. But I highly recommend enjoying it while it’s still warm!
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Where This Recipe Comes From
This cake recipe comes from the pages of Zoë Bakes Cakes by Zoë François of Zoë Bakes.
Zoë lives right here in Minnesota, an exuberant, joy-filled baker with oodles of expertise and artistic talent. You might already know her from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day series that she authored with Jeff Hertzberg. Or from her gorgeous Instagram feed. Or maybe you’ve caught sight of the Zoë Bakes intro episode, a new series on Magnolia Network with Joanna & Chip Gaines.
Wherever you happen to know her, it’s glaringly obvious that Zoë knows what she’s doing in the kitchen. And her new book is a perfect testimony to all the creativity and downright deliciousness she is capable of.
Just look at the Hot Chocolate Cake on that book cover, and that toppling of homemade marshmallows! Zoë is a master of marshmallows, and it’s been my pleasure on several occasions to enjoy her sweet, sweet handiwork.
She’s also an excellent teacher. So I very much appreciate the helpful “Cake Academy” section in the book, where she includes extensive tips and techniques for baking your way through her cakes. If you like to celebrate with cake (who doesn’t?!), I highly recommend this beautiful book.
I received a copy of Zoë Bakes Cakes for my use and review. All opinions are 100% my own.
Wow, this cake looks amazing. I would love to make this soon. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe.
I wonder how this would turn out in large muffin tin
5 star