A lovely pineapple upside-down cake recipe that’s extremely simple to make. We love this vanilla cake topped with fresh pineapple baked in brown sugar and butter. Jump to the Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe or read on to see our tips for making it.
Use Fresh Pineapple for the Best Pineapple Cake
The batter is lightly scented with vanilla and citrus. The gooey topping is made of butter, brown sugar, warm cinnamon, and fresh pineapple. Simple and delicious! We absolutely love serving this cake warm with a little whipped cream, but ice cream would be just as delicious. Think of this as a “modernized” version of classic pineapple upside-down cake.
Reading: dessert to make with fresh pineapple
There’s no caramel on top, instead this cake has a moist, delicious, and gooey topping. The cake itself is also a little more airy than the classic.
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As the cake bakes, the pineapple releases some of it’s juices and sweetness which runs out into the brown sugar topping. So when we can, we use fresh pineapple, which is a little lighter in flavor than canned.
If you’re in a pinch, canned pineapple will work, just be sure to use pineapple in the lightest syrup you can find. Otherwise, we have found the cake becomes too sweet for our taste.
After serving this to a few friends we were asked where the cherries were (something commonly added to pineapple cakes). For us, we’re happy to skip them, but if an upside-down pineapple cake seems naked without them, add them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why separate the eggs? The recipe asks that you separate the eggs, and then add the yolks at a different time as the whites. This method produces the best cake texture.
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For this recipe, you do not need to whip the egg whites (a common technique when separating eggs for use in light and airy cakes.) Instead, we are going out of our way not to whip the whites, which is why they are added at the end. We have tried this recipe using whole eggs and found it to be inferior (the batter also overflowed the cake pan).
Can I double the recipe? We have only tested the recipe as written, however, you should be able to double the recipe and use a 9-inch by 13-inch pan.
Can I use canned pineapple? We prefer fresh pineapple in this cake, but canned pineapple can be used. For the best results, use canned pineapple in a light syrup. Heavier syrups make the pineapple sweeter, which will then make the cake too sweet.
More Recipes
- This cake recipe calls for a 1/4 of a pineapple, this Spicy Avocado Pineapple Salsa would be perfect for using up the rest.
- This Incredibly Moist Carrot Cake with an ultra-creamy cream cheese frosting is a must make!
Recipe updated, originally posted June 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
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