The Best Pineapple Upside-Down Cake — So soft, moist, and really is the best!! A cheery, happy cake that’s sure to put a smile on anyone’s face! This 100% from-scratch cake is an EASY reader favorite you’re going to love!!
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Homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake
I love this cake because it’s fast and easy to make, and it always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy thanks to the buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. That trifecta of moisturizing and tenderizing ingredients makes it impossible to have a dry cake.
I think it would be a perfect cake for Easter, Mother’s Day, baby and bridal showers, brunch, or anytime you want a cheery, sunny, happy cake!
Not to mention, the buttery, brown sugary pineapple juice that seeps down into the cake from the slices on top make the cake so soft, moist, and buttery that it just melts in your mouth.
The cake is soft, sweet, with an almost imperceptible tang from the buttermilk that adds another layer of flavor. The pineapple slices add chewiness and texture to the otherwise falling-apart-soft crumb.
While baking, the pineapple caramelizes in a butter and brown sugar bath, giving the pineapple upside down cake its signature glistening top and adding so much rich, browned butter flavor to the pineapple.
There’s no better way to get your Vitamin C than via pineapple baked in it’s own brown sugar-browned butter sauce!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake Ingredients
To make this easy pineapple upside down cake, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Canned pineapple slices
- Maraschino cherries
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Egg
- Buttermilk
- Sour cream
- Canola oil
- Vanilla extract
Tip
You must use each of these ingredients as they’re listed. Substitutions like whole wheat flour or an alternative sweetener may result in a less than stellar upside down cake.
How to Make Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Making pineapple upside down cake from scratch is so easy! First you’ll arrange the pineapple-cherry topping, then you’ll prepare the cake batter.
Here’s how the homemade pineapple upside down cake is made:
- Arrange the pineapple-cherry topping: I used one 20-ounce can pineapple slices. I kept one slice whole for the center of the cake, and then fanned 12 halves around it. My pet peeve about most pineapple upside-down cakes is that there’s not enough pineapple if you keep the rings whole and intact. The focus of a pineapple upside-down cake should be on the pineapple, so I tried to maximize the pineapple coverage on top by using a fanning technique.
- I used the remaining 3 slices (6 halves) to line the sides of the pan. Nobody likes bald sides.
- Make the cake batter: After getting the pineapple and cherries in the pan, whisk together the cake batter and turn it out into the pan. I filled my 9-inch round cake pan about 3/4-inch full with batter.
- Let the cake cool before flipping: I made the cake before bed and let it cool overnight in the pan with a sheet of foil over it. There’s no big rush to get it out of the pan. And honestly, inverting cakes gives me sweaty palms every time and I was stalling. Because of how buttery the topping is, the pan is so well-greased that the cake just plopped right out. Not even one slice of pineapple or cherry out of order.
Baking Tip
Although the cake doesn’t rise a ton, it’s still a cake and rises some, so don’t exceed about 3/4-full, the same idea as when filling a muffin tin. Discard the last bit of batter if need be. I mention this because all cake pans, the exact amount of pineapple, cherries, etc will vary slightly.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake FAQs
No, regular round cake pans aren’t deep enough. You also can’t use a 9-inch square baking pan for this. You have to use a 9-inch round springform pan, otherwise this homemade pineapple upside down cake recipe won’t turn out right.
I recommend making this easy pineapple upside down cake in this 9-inch springform pan. This is the exact pan I use at home and it works every time!
I haven’t tried that before because I just don’t have the patience for it! So unfortunately I can’t tell you if this recipe can be made as cupcakes.
I don’t think layering pineapple upside down cake is a good idea. This cake is incredibly moist and heavy, and I think if you tried to make two layers and stack them on top of each other the entire cake would fall apart.
Yes, you just have to be precise with your arrangement of the pineapple upside down cake topping in the bundt pan before you add the cake batter. The bake time may need to be altered slightly, so watch the oven and not the clock.
Full-fat sour cream makes for the best homemade pineapple upside down cake, but lite sour cream may be used in its place. You can also use plain Greek yogurt, but note that regular yogurt won’t work (it’s too runny).
I’ve only ever used canned pineapple rings so I can’t say for sure whether fresh pineapple would work in place of canned. Most likely yes, but please let me know if you try this and it works out!
No, you need real buttermilk to help this cake rise properly. You can use the leftover pineapple juice in the can in cocktails, smoothies, and more though!
If possible, get your hands on real buttermilk. If that’s not possible, you can try making a buttermilk substitute (for every 1 cup of milk, mix in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar). If you have to make a buttermilk substitute, you should use 2% or whole milk for the best results.
Time! The cake needs time to cool in the pan (at LEAST 30 minutes, but preferably overnight) before it’s safe to invert it onto a plate. As the cake cools, the pineapple on the bottom (soon to be the top!) firms up, the sugars set to create a caramel-y sauce, and the cake itself sets.
If your cake turned out mushy, you likely didn’t drain the pineapple and cherries well enough.
Absolutely! In fact, making it a day in advance means the cake will pop out of the cake pan so much easier when you’re ready to invert it.
Melted butter! The butter gets added to the bottom of the pan before all of the toppings are arranged. The sugar and butter caramelize in the oven, but there’s enough butter that the cake should pop right out of the pan once cool.
You can store the cake at room temperature for up to five days. Cover the pan with foil. The cake will stay super moist thanks to the juicy topping.
Since this is such a moist cake that’s loaded with fruit, I do not recommend freezing it.
Tips for the Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Make sure you are using a good quality springform pan that you know is reliable. From time to time, people write to me saying their springform pan leaked, butter went all over, and they get upset with me. This is not my fault, peeps. It’s your pan that leaked. The solution?
Test your pan with water in it. Does it leak? If so, it will probably leak with the melted butter in it. Don’t make this pineapple upside down cake from scratch until you have a pan you trust, simple as that.
What’s the best springform pan? This is the 9-inch springform pan I currently use and I have never had it leak with this cake.
I have, however, had it leak when I quickly (and I was half asleep) put it together and sealed the latch carelessly. I do recommend it and it’s been a workhorse with other cakes over the years. I bought it in 2015 and it still looks and works as good as new.
Note that you should wind up with just enough cake batter to fill the 9-inch springform pan 3/4 full. If you somehow wind up with a little extra batter, it’s better to discard it than overfill the cake pan.
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The Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- one 20-ounce can pineapple slices
- about 12 maraschino cherries
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk, or Powdered Buttermilk, use 2 tablespoons with the dry ingredients + 1/2 cup water added with the wet
- ⅓ cup sour cream, lite is okay (plain Greek yogurt may be substituted)
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Pour the butter into a 9-inch springform cake pan. Use your finger to run a bit of butter around the side of the pan so it’s well-greased.
- Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.
- Add 1 whole pineapple slice to the center of the pan.
- Halve the remaining slices vertically. Stagger them in a fan-like fashion going around the cake. I used 12 slices.
- Place the remaining slices around the sides of the cake pan with the curved side pointing down toward the bottom of the pan (see photos for reference). There will likely be bare side patches with no pineapple coverage, that’s okay.
- Place 1 cherry in the center of the whole pineapple slice in the middle of the pan.
- Place 1 cherry in the center cutout of all the fanned pineapple slices; set pan aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt; set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the next 5 wet ingredients (through vanilla).
- Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Small lumps will be present, don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth.
- Gently turn batter out into prepared pan, being careful to not disturb the pineapple slices on the sides or bottom. Fill pan only to about 3/4-full. If you have a little extra batter, discard it rather than overfilling your pan.
- Place pan on a cookie sheet (to catch anything that does overflow) and bake for about 40 minutes, or until center is set and not jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Only go down about 1-inch with the toothpick, not all the way to the bottom where you’ll hit gooey pineapple juice.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before inverting, slicing, and serving. I allowed cake to cool overnight, covered with a sheet of foil, before inverting.
Notes
- Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Cake base adapted from Blueberry Muffin and Buttermilk Pancakes Cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Pineapple Desserts:
Layered Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – A tender and moist classic two-layer carrot cake with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting!
Pineapple Coconut Oil Banana Bread — Banana bread spiked with pineapple and coconut oil that’s so good!
Hummingbird Cake — A super SOFT and moist cake with bananas, pineapple, coconut, cream cheese frosting, and pecans!! Makes a huge cake that’ll feed a crowd!
Pineapple Poke Cake With Pineapple Glaze — A pineapple version of a poke cake with a pineapple glaze that you’ll adore!
Tropical Escape Pineapple Crumble Bars — Soft, tender bars that have a great crumble topping that will remind you of the tropics!
Angel Pineapple Lush Parfaits — This is a 4-ingredient, no-bake dessert that’s ridiculously easy, you don’t need a mixer, and you don’t have to turn your oven on.
Pineapple Coconut Bars — Eat your piña colada rather than drinking one with these fast, EASY, no-mixer bars that taste TROPICAL!! Pineapple, coconut, white chocolate, and cherries!!
Recipe originally from March 2014 and reprinted in May 2018
I have made this cake several times and everyone who have eaten it have loved it. This is the only recipe I follow. I feel like I have mastered the art of making this cake.
I am so glad you feel you’ve mastered the art of making it! I am glad it’s always a hit!
I just made this cake for my birthday. I followed the directions and cooking times. The top was a nice golden color, it had pulled away from the sides, and 2 toothpicks in different places came out clean. I cooled it for about an hour and when I flipped it over the middle was still raw. I had no idea. So I dumped the cake back in the pan, reheating my oven, and attempting to cook it some more. I’ve baked a lot and this has only happened to me one other time years ago also when I was making a pineapple upside down cake. What gives? Why do the toothpicks come out clean and other signs point to be done when they are still raw?
Not sure what’s going on with your particular kitchen, equipment, etc because I’m not there but because there is so much juice from the pineapple, the batter is wet and therefore you need to bake it until it’s truly done in the center. That may be longer than the baking estimates provided, since everyone’s climate, ingredients, ovens, etc. run differently. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Girl, this just happened to me. I even read your review and made super sure to check the middle with a toothpick; it came out clean in several places. It was pulling away from the pan and otherwise looked done. Cooled it and flipped it. Raw in the middle. Did you ever try this again and find out why this happened? It’s so frustrating!
I cannot explain how you tested it in multiple places (I assume the middle) and it was clean and done, or so you thought, but wasn’t actually done. I know this is frustrating and as a baker, this happens to me from time to time. I would just bake another 5-10 minutes in your case if you try again. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Hi. I was wondering if i can make this recipe with fresh fruits rather than canned. Also im thinking about making 2 or 3 cakes and build them up into a layered cake by adding whipped cream between the layers then covering the whole cake with whipped cream and finish with some white chocolate shaves. Knowing that you have tried this cake, do you think adding these twists would turn out well ?
Based on how moist this cake is it is definitely best to make it as one single layer and make it exactly as the directions indicate. I also would use canned fruit rather than fresh. There is a reason I chose all the ingredients and method that I did rather than going in different directions with it. Of course, feel free to experiment, however I don’t know if you have much luck making it as a layer cake or with fresh fruit.
This is a certain keeper. My husband loves pineapple upside-down cake. I made this for him tonite for our 27th anniversary, and he loved it – ate 1/2 of the cake, even after a full steak dinner! It’s definitely a keeper. Thanks so much! Because my springform pan is a bit wider, the cake was thinner, and I may have overcooked it a bit, but because of all the moistening elements, it was very forgiving and turned out great. And it flipped out of the pan perfectly and looked great. He was very happy, and I am so pleased with with this recipe. Thank you so much! You have a new fan ;)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Happy Anniversary and glad that this is a keeper and that half the cake was eaten, even after a steak dinner!
This cake was really great! I doubled the recipe for a larger cake (bit longer baking time) but it came out wonderful! It was a total party success!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Love that it was a a total party success!
OH MY GOD. I made this cake today. Okay, so here’s what I did differently: I used almond extract instead of vanilla. I poured the pineapple juice from the can in (I used the powdered buttermilk and I didn’t add water because I put in the juice). Next time, I probably won’t do the slices on the sides because they kept wanting to fall off, but otherwise, the cake looks lovely and tastes awesome. I lined my springform pan with heavy-duty foil and it still leaked a little bit, BUT then I went on Amazon and found a 9-in. round cake pan that is extra deep (3″); same depth as my springform pan. I did have to bake about 10 minutes longer than the 40 min baking time but all ovens are different. I hope you don’t mind that I made some changes! Thank you very much for the recipe. Today’s cake was the tester cake; I’m going to make this for my book club in two weeks. And I bet I will want to make it frequently!
Your changes sound amazing! I love the idea of using the juice + powdered buttermilk (no water) to boost the pineapple flavor. Great idea about lining your springform and then finding a gem on Amazon, too. Your book club is going to be REALLY lucky!
Can you make this in a cast iron skillet?
Haven’t tried it that way so I can’t speak to results.
I’m not a regular reader but I used this recipe for a coworker’s birthday and it was a huge hit at my office. SO delicious. I didn’t use a springform- I ended up using a 9″ round corningware ceramic dish with high sides and lined the bottom with parchment to make sure it would invert easily (and it did! ). I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream, dark brown sugar instead of light brown, and lowfat buttermilk instead of full fat. I ended up baking around 50 minutes, letting it cool for around 40 minutes, then inverting it. It was still a bit warm but I think that helped it invert. Readers be warned – the dark brown sugar kind of gave it a burnt look since it is darker than the photos here. This didn’t effect the taste at all imo and we all really enjoyed it. AMAZING recipe!!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and was a big hit at the office!
Best pineapple upside down cake recipe ever! (And I’ve tried a lot). I am excited to try your other recipes.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and lived up to it’s THE BEST namesake!
Looks delicious! Need to try this :)
This recipe is total perfection. Not much else to say. It really is the BEST!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that it really is the BEST!
Hi Averie
I am excited to try your recipe and was wondering if you could tell me if you think a 10″ spring form pan would be ok or would the cake be too flat?
Thank you
Would probably be okay but I haven’t personally tried it so can’t say for sure.
This really is THE best Pineapple Upside Cake! Other recipes are just yellow cake with brown sugar & pineapple, but the texture of this is what a real PUC should be. Delicious and I love it!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And I agree, there are TONS of PUC’s on the internet that are just doctored up cake mix. I really tried my hardest to come up with a great, but easy, scratch recipe!
Oh, and I used a 9×2 cake pan…perfect!
This truly is the best! I have been on a search forever and this is it! Very moist and delicious! Thank you!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you!
Hi! I live in Caracas, Venezuela, and prepared the cakes today. Although we don’t have all the ingredients (no buttermilk, no sour cream here), it came out just perfect. I used Greek yogurt and milk plus vinegar instead. We neither have light brown sugar, I used dark one. It looks like the one in the pictures. My spring form pan did leak, but it was all the pineapple juices. I thought it was going to be extra sweat, but no, it is just fine. Thanks for the recipe, we are loving it.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you even with the tweaks you had to make!