One of the more old-fashioned cakes that I like will definitely be the Upside Down Pineapple Cake. Drizzled with toasty hot caramel and the natural sweetness of the pineapple, what’s there not to like?

The most interesting part about this cake is that you will be serving it upside down from the pan. Hence the name, Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

First, you will be cooking a caramel layer at the base of the cake before topping it off with pineapple rings or chunks. Next, you top the whole cake off with the cake batter, then serve it upside down! This allows the caramel to be toasty warm when you eat it, a treat to enjoy indeed! I like it especially when I top it off with extra caramel to drizzle!

Another favourite part of mine will be the fruits that are incorporated at the top. 

While pineapple rings is used here, you can feel free to use chunks or even other fruits. I have made the same type of cake before but using bananas instead! You can click here if you are interested to find out about the Upside Down Banana Cake!

You will also be impressed to know that this cake is definitely not challenging to make. However, please feel free to let me know if you need help and I am equally eager and glad to help you along the way!

A word of caution will be not to pour in the batter. Instead, spoon it in gently. Furthermore, note that there is is a tendency for the fruits to be dislodged out of the caramel layer of you pour in the batter. As such, you will then find your upside down pineapple cake to be a normal fruit cake instead! Still delicious though!

Should you be lazy to slice the pineapple in rings like I am, buy them canned! I bought mine in the ring version so that I could just use it immediately for the recipe!

Do note that for this picture, I used mini cake tins of about 4.5 inches in diameter. For that, I split the batter into 4 and baked for 30 minutes. It will definitely work well with the bigger tin too but with longer baking duration!

Now, without further ado, let me share the recipe!

Upside Down Pineapple Cake Recipe
by Javier Tan June-30-2019

This Pineapple Upside Down Cake comes with warm, drizzling caramel accompanied by a soft cake layer and the sweetness of natural fruits! What is there not to like?

Ingredients

For the Cake Batter:

  • 1/2 Cup or 125g Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature
  • 3/4 Cup or 150g Granulated White Sugar (Can also use 120-130g instead)
  • 1 and 1/2 Cups or 180g All Purpose/Plain Flour, Sifted
  • 1 Teaspoon or 4g Baking Powder, Sifted
  • 1/4 Teaspoon or 1.4g Table Salt
  • 1/3 Cup or 80ml Full Cream Milk, Room Temperature
  • 2 Large Eggs, 55g each, Room Temperature
  • 1 Teaspoon or 5ml Vanilla Extract or 10ml of Vanilla Essence
  • 1 Teaspoon or 2.5g Ground Cinnamon

For The Caramel Topping (do prepare more if you would like to drizzle some while serving):

  • 6-7 Pineapple Rings, about 1 Inch thick
  • 80g or 1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter, Chopped Into Cubes
  • 112g or 1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
Instructions
  1. First, preheat your oven to 180 degrees C and line your 8 x 8 inches baking tray or 9″ round pan with parchment paper.
  2. Prepare the caramel base. Melt down the unsalted butter and brown sugar at low heat until it forms a single consistency, it will take less than 5 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently.
  3. Pour the caramel mixture into the baking tin lined with parchment paper. Gently place the pineapple rings in the caramel layer gently and set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Then, in a separate bowl, beat the unsalted butter slightly for a couple of minutes to fluff it up and loosen it.
  5. Next, add in the sugar to the butter and cream both together until light and fluffy.
  6. Subsequently, add in the eggs one by one, making sure to mix well with each addition.
  7. Add in the cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt and whisk well.
  8. Mix in the milk and whisk well.
  9. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and mix well.
  10. Next, sift in the flour and baking powder mixture into the batter and use a spoon to fold it in to prevent over mixing.
  11. Spoon the batter into the baking tray. Bake the cake for about 42-46 minutes or until the top is slightly browned and the caramel has almost finished bubbling at the sides. ( It will bubble intensively earlier on ). If too much browning ( or burnt ) is observed, reduce temp to 160 degrees C and cover the top with aluminium foil.
  12. Finally, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving warm! Serve by preparing a bigger tray or plate lined with parchment and inverting the baking tray onto it.
Details
  • Prep time:
  • Cook time:
  • Total time:
  • Yield: 1 8 x 8 Inches Cake or 1 9″ Round Cake

Notes:

  1. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Best eaten warm on the day itself!
  2. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  3. Feel free to ask me any questions through any platforms that I use!
  4. If you have ugly holes in your cake ( common problem ), check out how to troubleshoot here in future bakes!

Enjoy!