PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
Do you have a recipe that you secretly love but think is too difficult to make? Pineapple Upside Down Cake is that recipe for me. I don’t have this sweet treat very often, but I love it. When Mama Paige recommended this cake as one of her March Collection recipes, I couldn’t have been more excited. Not to mention, this recipe is much easier than I thought!
The best part of the Pineapple Upside Down Cake is the sticky fruit layer. It is sweet from the brown sugar and a little tart from the pineapple rings. This recipe utilizes the pineapple juice from the can without ending up with a soggy cake. The juice drained from the pineapple rings is added to the cake batter in place of more dairy-free milk. Creating a moist cake with tons of flavor to balance out the sweet topping.
NOTE: This post includes affiliate links. When you purchase an item using a link, we make a small commission that helps us run this site at no additional cost to you.
Let’s get into the Recipe!
The first step is getting the oven ready. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. While the oven is heating, mix the ingredients for the cake. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Once mixed, make a well in the dry ingredients for the wet ingredients. Add oat milk, pineapple juice, vanilla, vegetable oil, applesauce, and vinegar to the well. Mix wet ingredients. Slowly pulling in the dry ingredients into the mix. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl until smooth, then set aside.
The sweet fruit topping is next! In a small bowl, melt plant-based butter in the microwave. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and pour melted plant-based butter into a 9-inch cake pan. Spread the melted plant-based butter so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the melted butter. Next, layer pineapple rings on top of the brown sugar. I recommend placing one ring in the center and five to six rings surrounding the center ring but feel free to get creative! Place a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple ring. If you like cherries like me, place them in the openings between the pineapple rings too. For a final touch, place pecan halves in openings between pineapple rings and cherries.
Now that the topping is complete. Pour the cake batter over top of the pineapple, cherries, and pecans. The batter should completely cover the topping. Place the filled cake pan on the center rack of the oven - bake for 30 minutes. If the cake batter is near the top of the cake rim, place a baking sheet on the shelf below the filled cake pan to catch any brown sugar topping that may bubble up and spill over the top. After 30 minutes, check the cake to ensure the topping is not bubbling over. Carefully place tented foil over the cake to keep it from becoming too brown. Bake the cake for another 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, poke a toothpick in the center of the cake to check if it is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If the cake is not done, cook for another 10 minutes, then test again. Be careful not to stick the toothpick down into a pineapple ring or cherry.
Once the toothpick is clean, completely remove it from the oven. Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes. This will help the topping cool slightly, which makes for easy removal from the pan. Now, it’s time for the moment of truth – flipping the cake. Grab a plate a little larger than the cake pan. Place it on top of the cake. Holding the pan and plate together, flip the cake pan and plate so that the cake pan is now on top of the plate. Let rest for one minute. Tap the bottom of the pan for good luck. Gently wiggle the pan off the cake to reveal the beautiful pineapple topping.
This cake is best served warm. Cover leftover cake and keep it in the refrigerator. You can store the cake in the refrigerator for up to a week if covered properly. Once you’re ready to enjoy a slice of cake, warm the slices up in the microwave and enjoy.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1¾ C. all-purpose flour
- 1 C. white sugar
- 1 Tsp baking soda
- ½ Tsp salt
- ¾ C. oat milk
- ¼ C. reserved pineapple juice
- 2 Tsp vanilla flavoring
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp smooth cinnamon applesauce (you can also use regular applesauce, just add a ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon.)
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar.
- ¼ C. plant-based butter
- ½ C. dark brown sugar
- 1 can of pineapple rings packed in pineapple juice, 15 oz - drain and reserve liquid
- 10 – 15 pecan halves
- 10 –15 maraschino cherries, stems removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt
- Make a well in the dry mixture and add wet ingredients – oat milk, pineapple juice, vanilla, vegetable oil, cinnamon applesauce, and vinegar. Beat until smooth. Set aside.
- Place plant-based butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt. (about 10 seconds)
- Spread melted plant-based butter in the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan and sprinkle brown sugar over the melted butter.
- Place pineapple rings on top of the brown sugar and melted plant-based butter—one ring in the center and five to six rings surrounding the center ring. As an option, like in the picture, you can cut additional rings in half and place them around the pan's sides.
- Place a maraschino cherry inside each center of a pineapple ring and any other opening that suits you.
- Place pecan halves in openings between pineapple rings and cherries.
- Pour cake batter into the plan covering the pineapple, cherries, and pecans.
- Place the filled cake pan on a center rack in the oven. Bake for 30-minutes.
- After 30-minutes, check your cake and place tented foil over your cake to keep the cake from becoming too brown. Bake for another 20 minutes. Test to see if the cake is done by sticking a toothpick into the cake's center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Be careful not to stick the toothpick down into the pineapple rings or cherries. If the cake is not done, cook another 10 min and again to see if the cake is done.
- Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Place a dinner plate a little larger than your cake pan on top of your baked cake, holding the cake pan and the plate together, flip the cake pan and plate. The r plate will be on the bottom, and the cake pan will be on top. Let rest for one minute. Tap the bottom of the pan and gently wiggle the pan off the cake.
