Pineapple Upside Down Cake

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Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a retro classic! It’s a fun and easy recipe that is perfect with ice cream or custard, or simply on its own!

The old-fashioned recipes are the most popular and a pineapple upside down cake is no exception.

It looks so pretty with the yellow pineapple rings and the vibrant pillar-box red cherries. I love glace cherries – if you also love them, you will love this coconut and cherry loaf cake too!

A pineapple cake with cherries on a white plate with gold stars.

This is one delicious cake – a soft, light, fluffy sponge topped with juicy pineapple slices and cherries. It’s equally lovely just on its own with a cup of tea, or served as a pudding with custard, ice cream or pouring cream.

Other cakes that fall into the category of “perfect for a sweet treat in the afternoon with a cuppa or great as a dessert” are Apple Crumble Cake, Orange Marmalade Cake, Plum Amaretti Crumble Cake or a classic Gingerbread Loaf Cake.

a pineapple upside down cake with cherries on a white plate with gold stars.

ingredient list

ingredients to make a pineapple upside down cake, such as cherries, tinned pineapple, eggs, sugar, butter and flour.

Demerara sugar – for sprinkling over the base of the tin
melted butter
tinned – yes, tinned for that retro feel! pineapple rings in juice (you’ll need some of the juice for the sponge)
glace or maraschino cherries – I used a mixture of both for this cake because I ran out of the maraschino cherries!
soft butter
caster sugar
vanilla extract
eggs
plain (all purpose) flour.
baking powder and bicarbonate of soda

equipment list

a 20cm round cake tin – preferably non stick and not springform. I’ve also made this cake in a 22cm cast iron pan (skillet), as you can see in the photos below.
a small palette knife for loosening the edges of the cake from the tin

how to make a pineapple upside down cake

scroll to the bottom of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions on how to make this recipe.

Step one – Pour melted butter in the cake pan. Brush the butter up the sides of the pan.

Step two – Sprinkle the demerara sugar around the base.

A black cast iron pan greased with butter.

A black cast iron frying pan greased with butter and sprinkled with brown sugar.

Step three – Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries in the pan. I love cherries, so I like to be generous with them! I prefer to keep the pineapple whole, but you can cut it into slices if you like.

Step four – Make the sponge by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one is well incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract.

A black cast iron frying pan with seven pineapple rings inside to make an upside down cake.

A cast iron black frying pan with seven pineapple rings and glace cherries.

Step five – Fold in the dry ingredients. The mixture will be quite stiff, but this is easily fixed by folding in 3 or 4 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice. Don’t overmix the batter.

A silver mixing bowl of creamed butter and sugar with a green wooden handled spatula.

A silver bowl of creamed butter and sugar with an egg dropped in to make a sponge cake.

Step six – Scrape the batter into the pan over the pineapple and cherries. Level the surface, making sure all of the fruit is covered.

Step seven – Bake at 180C/160Fan/350F for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is golden, risen and a skewer inserted in the centre emerges with no raw batter.

A black cast iron frying pan with a sponge cake mixture spooned on top of pineapple rings and glace cherries.

A black cast iron frying pan with sponge mixture to make an upside down cake.

troubleshooting tips

The top of the cake might look like it is browning too much about halfway through the baking time. Cover with a piece of baking paper to prevent it from turning too dark.

When making any kind of upside down cake, be sure to use a reliable cake tin. You don’t want to use one that is prone to sticking!

Grease the cake tin with butter really well – you aren’t using baking paper and you want the cake to slip out without sticking to the sides of the tin!

As you can see in the picture below, my cake did stick to the tin a little – but honestly, if it does it’s no big deal. It still tastes great and no-one will care!

If you release the cake and some pineapple slices are stuck to the tin, simply remove them and place them on the cake. No-one will know!

a slice of pineapple upside down cake with cherries on a white plate with a silver fork.

faqS

Is it difficult to make a pineapple upside down cake?

Honestly? Not at all. A pineapple upside down cake is one of the easiest cakes you can make. The thought of turning the cake upside down might make some people a bit nervous in case they mess it up, but confidence (and a good cake pan) is key!

Should pineapple upside down cake be kept refrigerated?

If you aren’t eating the whole thing within a few hours of baking, then yes, pineapple upside down cake should be stored in the fridge. It will keep for about 3 or 4 days.

Why did my pineapple upside down cake turn out soggy?

To prevent a soggy cake, drain the tinned pineapple (keep the juice for the sponge!) and pat the slices dry with kitchen paper before lining the cake pan.

more easy cake recipes

Coffee and walnut cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Victoria Sponge Cake

Easy Carrot Cake

Chocolate Caramel Mars Bar Cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Yield: 10 slices

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

How to make a classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake. A fun, easy recipe that makes a wonderful dessert with ice cream or whipped cream.

Ingredients

2 tbsp demerara sugar
50g butter, melted
6 slices of tinned pineapple in juice, drained (keep the juice)
11 glace or maraschino cherries
200g soft butter
200g caster (super fine) sugar
3 medium eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g plain (all purpose) flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3-4 tbsp pineapple juice from the tin

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F/Gas mark 4.
Pour the melted butter into a 20-22cm round cake pan (not springform).
Sprinkle the two tablespoons of Demerara sugar all over the base of the cake pan.
Arrange the drained pineapple slices over the base of the tin in a single layer. Place a cherry in the centre of each pineapple ring and between the slices.
Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in a separate bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the mixture until just combined. The mixture will be stiff. Fold in the pineapple juice until you have a soft cake batter that drops easily from a spoon.
Pour the cake batter into the pan amd bake for 35-45 minutes. If the top looks like it is browning too much, place a piece of baking parchment on top.
When the top of the cake is springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake emerges clean, remove from the oven. Loosen the sides of the cake from the tin with a spatula. Place a plate on top of the cake tin and quickly invert. Carefully pull away the tin. With any luck, your cake should have come away from the tin easily! If it doesn't, it will still taste delicious and no-one will care! If any of the pineapple rings have stuck to the cake tin, simply remove and place them back on the cake.
This cake can be served warm or cold on its own or with custard, pouring cream or ice cream.

Notes

You could use self raising flour if you don't have any plain - but omit the bicarbonate of soda and add just 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 272Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 356mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g

Calories and Nutritional information is calculated by a third party application and should be used as indicative figures only.