If you are a cake lover and pineapples fascinate you, this is a dessert recipe you cannot just miss! Made with the superbly moist pineapple-infused cake base and crowned with caramelized pineapple rings and maraschino cherries, this recipe for Eggless Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a complete stunner!
It is a gorgeous dessert recipe for birthdays, potlucks, or other special occasions that you can serve with pride and enjoy rave reviews.
This impressive Pineapple upside-down Cake is every pineapple lover’s dream indulgence, and if it’s yours too, I bet you will never ever eat a store-bought pineapple cake again.
It is not just the looks that allure; the flavors are fantastic too. A bite into this cake, and you are committed to it forever!
What is Pineapple Upside-down cake
This sinfully delicious eggless pineapple cake is a classic recipe that sets it apart from the other cake recipes because of the way it is prepared.
The lusciously juicy rings of pineapple and sweet maraschino cherries are arranged over a layer of brown sugar, and the buttery cake batter with pineapple flavoring is layered on top.
When baked and out of the oven, it is flipped upside down to reveal a wonderfully caramelized pineapple layer studded with cherries that beautify the freshly baked cake!
Reasons You’ll ♡ Pineapple Upside Down cake
This gorgeous Pineapple Upside Down cake will woo you in a single glance! It is so inviting that you cannot take your eyes off it. Besides falling for its beauty, you will have other reasons to love this stunning creation, such as it —
- Comes together with a handful of ingredients
- Super moist, soft, and fluffy
- Eggless and dairy-free cake
- Gorgeous looks make it drool-worthy
- Serve this classic cake any time of the year and on any occasion!
As a bonus, it is simple yet one of the most beautiful creations that hardly need much time or effort to come into existence!
Pineapple Upside-down cake Ingredient List
All-purpose flour — This is the base ingredient of the cake that gives structure and flavor to it.
Baking Powder / Baking Soda — The softness and fluffiness of this delicious pineapple cake come from the leavening agents, baking powder, and baking soda used for preparing it. These ingredients help the cake to rise to perfection and feel wonderfully soft-textured.
Salt — A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor of the cake by balancing the sweetness.
Oil — Oil lends moisture to the batter, which is needed to attain a light-textured cake that is simply irresistible.
Sugar — Granulated sugar is added to sweeten up our delicious recipe. It is an essential ingredient that adds flavor and moisture to the cake while also helping tenderize it.
Pineapple Essence — The pineapple flavor of the cake is rendered by the added pineapple slices to a great extent. But the cake also gets its pineapple flavor from the added pineapple essence.
Buttermilk — A magic ingredient in baking, buttermilk produces unbelievably tender and soft cakes. You can use store-bought buttermilk or even make it at home. For the homemade buttermilk, mix one tablespoon of vinegar with 1 cup of milk, and there you have the best buttermilk to use in your recipe.
Brown Sugar — Brown sugar is the base layer for fruits. It caramelizes the pineapples and cherries perfectly.
Butter — Unsalted vegan butter is used for greasing the cake pan.
Pineapple — Canned pineapple rings are used for this recipe. They render the recipe the fruity flavor of pineapple and the glamorous looks that makes this recipe a completely irresistible indulgence!
Maraschino Cherries — Sweet maraschino cherries are added for their brilliant color and the fun they bring to the pineapple cake when studded between the caramelized pineapple rings!
Recipe Tips and Variations
Use melted butter — Use melted butter to grease the bottom of the cake pan. When combined with brown sugar, melted butter creates an excellent shiny caramel coating that forms the top of the cake when turned upside down.
Use fresh ingredients — Always use fresh ingredients for the best-tasting recipe. Look out for ingredients that are in their shelf life to reach the desired results.
Keep the measurements precise — The key to the most delicious cakes is using the correct measurements of the ingredients. A slight variation in the measurements can bring drastic undesirable results.
Use ingredients at room temperature — Ingredients at room temperature blend appropriately with each other. Allow buttermilk to come to room temperature before combining it with other ingredients to achieve the best cake batter that results in a wonderfully baked cake.
Choice of pineapples — You can choose to use canned or fresh pineapples for this recipe. However, I recommend using canned pineapples for their uniform size and shape, which result in a gorgeous-looking upside-down cake. Please discard the syrup, as adding it to the recipe will make the cake overly sweet.
Prepping up the fruits — Drain the juice from the slices of the canned pineapple and maraschino cherries to prevent the cake from getting overly wet. Before lining them over the bottom of the pan, pat dry the canned fruits with a paper towel. If not followed, the batter will become runny, and you will not attain the desired results.
Do not over-mix the batter — Over-mixing the ingredients when preparing the batter will result in fluffy cake, but here we are looking for a slightly dense yet soft cake that will melt in your mouth. Therefore, mix the batter until just well blended.
The best baking pan — Use a good quality springform pan for baking this gorgeous pineapple cake. Ensure that it is tight at the base so that butter doesn’t leak through and mess up your oven. My advice would be to check the pan for any leaks. For this, add tap water to the Springform pan, seal the latch tightly and check for any leakage. If it leaks, do not proceed with the recipe.
Create beautiful cupcakes — You can bake lovely pineapple cupcakes with this batter. For that, decorate each cavity of the cupcake pan with butter, brown sugar, pineapple rinds, and cherries, and pour the cake batter in. Now, bake for 14 – 18 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in comes out clean. Bite into your freshly baked pineapple cupcakes for sheer delightfulness.
Relish the cake as you like — You can enjoy this super delicious pineapple upside-down cake, either chilled or right out of the oven, just the way you want. It tastes delicious either way.
No need for adornment — This stunningly beautiful cake doesn’t require further decoration. But, if you prefer, you can serve a slice of this cake with a dollop of whipped cream for more creamy deliciousness!
Flipping the cake efficiently — Let it rest and cool for 10- 15 minutes before you flip it. This will ensure that the cake stays together and doesn’t fall apart during flipping. During this 15 minutes rest time, the cake will firm up slightly and is less likely to crack. Likewise, do not wait too long to invert the cake because the caramel may thicken up, and it will not be a clean release for the cake.
Reason for the soggy cake — Two reasons for the cake to turn soggy. Either the cake was not baked for the required time, or the pineapple slices added to the cake were not drained well, making the cake overly wet.
Release the trapped air — Before placing the pan into the oven, tap it on the counter a few times to allow any air bubbles trapped to get released. This will ensure a cake devoid of air pockets and evenly textured.
Do not skip brown sugar glaze — Brown sugar and butter mix create a nice crunchy topping at the bottom that looks and tastes genuinely divine. Brown sugar develops a glaze all around the bottom of the cake, rendering it a deliciously sweet caramelized flavor that takes the cake to another level.
The doneness test — Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake to confirm the doneness of the cake. It ensures that it is perfectly baked if it comes out clean without any crumbs attached.
Store properly to prevent drying out — When made in advance, this cake should be appropriately stored in an air-tight container that prevents it from drying out.
Best Springform pan — I recommend making this eggless pineapple upside-down cake in this 7.5-inch non-stick springform pan. This is the same baking pan I have used to make this gorgeous-looking and divinely tasting pineapple cake.
Let me know what you think!
If you love baking gorgeous cakes, this recipe is just for you. Take the opportunity to explore this exquisite creation and stun your family and friends today.
All you need is just a handful of ingredients mentioned on the recipe card, and begin with your joyful venture.
Should you make this Eggless Pineapple upside-down cake, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below.
And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
CRAVING FOR MORE, TRY MY OTHER FLAVOR-PACKED Cake RECIPES –
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to make the best Pineapple upside-down cake
Pineapple Upside Down cake
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cup All purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- A pinch of Salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup Oil
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pineapple essence
- 1 cup Buttermilk plant -based
BASE LAYER OF THE CAKE
- 1 tablespoon Vegan Unsalted Butter (to coat the pan)
- 2/3 cup Brown sugar
- 6-8 slices Canned Pineapple
- 12 – Maraschino cherries
INSTRUCTIONS
- Grease a 7-inch round baking pan with vegan butter. Swirl it around to coat the bottom and the sides of the baking dish before sprinkling brown sugar.
- Evenly spread brown sugar at the bottom of the pan.
- Place one of the pineapple circles in the middle and nine half-circles around the edges. Add cherries to the center circle and the half circles.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Combine sugar, pineapple essence, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.
- Spoon in the flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beating on low speed until well combined.Tip — Buttermilk is acidic, which helps tenderize the gluten in the batter. This, in turn, makes the cake super soft and fluffy. Therefore, please do not replace the buttermilk as it also helps to raise the cake properly.
- Pineapple upside-down cake batter should be of a thick spoon drop consistency. Meaning the batter should drop off the spoon easily.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently fold in the cake batter.
- Pour the cake batter over the arranged pineapple slices.
- Even out the batter with a spoon. Bake the cake in a preheated oven for an hour or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set it over the counter to cool. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 40 to 50 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen the band.
- Carefully invert the cake onto a serving platter. To remove the bottom plate – Wait for 40-50 minutes, then run a knife around the bottom plate to make sure it is not stuck at the corners.
- Carefully lift off the bottom tray; a delicious cake is waiting for you. You have a stunning pineapple cake infused with pineapple flavor and glistening citrus fruits that look so irresistibly inviting!
- Take a bite out of it, and it will just melt in your mouth!
RECIPE NOTES
- 3 large eggs
- 1.5 cups of sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- fresh oranges,
- blood oranges (my favorites),
- pears,
- granny smith apples,
- peaches, and
- apricots — just to name a few of my favorites.
Nidhi says
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of Maida?
Ruchi says
Nidhi, I haven’t experimented with wheat flour wholly; therefore, I would suggest using half all-purpose flour and half wheat flour.
Aarti says
I couldn’t get brown sugar.. will regular or castor sugar go?
Ruchi says
Sure, you can use regular sugar as a substitute.
Shipra says
Hi, pls advice what can be a substitute of butter while caramelising sugar at the bottom
Ruchi says
Shipra, you can try coconut oil as a substitute.
Niharika says
I tried your recipe. Cake turned out to be amazing and was over in minutes. Thanks for sharing really appreciate it!!
Ruchi says
So glad you liked the recipe, Niharika!
Thank you for your kind words.
V says
Can we make these as cupcakes?
Ruchi says
Of course, you can! Baking time will vary.
I would suggest checking on your cupcakes at around 20 minutes. Perform the toothpick test too. When the toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, the cupcakes are done.
E says
Awesome cake! How would I store the entire cake overnight or more than 24 hours? And since vanilla extract is stronger than vanilla essence, should I replace the one tsp of essence with 1/2 a tsp of extract? Thank you!!!
Ruchi says
Thank you, E!
Tightly wrap the cooled cake in a plastic wrap. Put a layer of aluminum foil over it and store it in the refrigerator.
Sure, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of extract.
E says
Delicious recipe! Can I use an 8 inch pan, also does this recipe work for cupcakes? Thank you!
Ruchi says
You sure can!
This cake, as pictured, is baked in a 7.5-inch pan, so, an 8-inch pan would work great too.
Meghna says
When do you add the pineapple essence/flavor?
Ruchi says
With sugar and oil. 😊
khushboo Bajaj says
For making buttermilk the milk has to be heated before adding vinegar..please help..
Ruchi says
Khushboo, combine milk and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk and set aside for 5 minutes. That is your buttermilk. No cooking required.
Milk should be at room temperature.
J says
Amazing cake! How can I substitute the pineapple essence, but still have a pineapple flavor? Can I use pineapple juice?
Thanks!
Ruchi says
Thank you, J!
I am afraid pineapple juice will not render that prominent pineapple flavor. You have to have pineapple essence for this recipe.
J says
Thanks! Is it possible to use vanilla extract instead of pineapple essence?
Thank you again!
Ruchi says
Of course!
Go ahead and use vanilla essence as a substitute.
Deepa says
Hi ,
Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned pineapple?
Ruchi says
You sure can!
Meher says
Hi is vegan bitter and vegan butter milk compulsory or can I use normal dairy products?
Ruchi says
Meher, you can use regular milk and butter for this recipe.
Anna says
Hi
Made this cake today. It has come out really well. One question. Is this served cold as dessert??
Ruchi says
Thank you for your feedback, Anna!
Either way is fine – warm with your favorite ice cream or cold with some whipped cream and cherry on top.
studentsim says
Hi Ruchi: Could the cake be made the night before a lunch party? How would you recommend storing it? Thank you!
Ruchi says
Yes, the cake can me made a day ahead. Once the cake has cooled completely, cover it with a plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
studentsim says
Hi Ruchi: Thank you for the instructions. I followed the recipe and storage instructions and as my first ever baked cake, it came out fabulous!! Everyone loved it at the party. The inside of the cake was a bit dense which likely is because i went crazy with my mixer during the blending stage:) The flavors were amazingly well blended! Thank you so much for a great recipe along well thought instructions.
Ruchi says
Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your wonderful feedback with me. Glad to hear that you liked the recipe. 🙂
Teresa Kant says
Could this recipe be made in an iron skillet? All the old fashioned pineapple upside down cake recipes I’ve ever seen are made in an iron skillet…
RK says
Thanks for stopping by Teresa! I have not tried this recipe in an iron skillet but I think it can be made.
Lanieta Tuivaga says
I like this recipe. I want to try it
RK says
Thanks for stopping by Lanieta! Sure give it a try and I am sure you are going to like it. 🙂
Rosalinda says
Lovely blog you have dear! Your way of explaining is par excellence. Made this cake, it was so yummy and we ate have of it. On my favorites and will be making it again and again. Need some cheesecake recipes from you now!
RK says
Thanks for trying out the recipe Rosalinda! Glad you liked it. Penned down your request and will be working on it pretty soon. 🙂
Sonya says
This is by far the tastiest, moistest, most delicious pineapple upside down cake. Everyone just ate all of it, only two pieces are left and I’m gonna save it for tomorrow 😉 Hands down it is the best pineapple upside-down cake ever!
RK says
Glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you Sonya for following my blog! 🙂
Manmeet Kalra says
Thanks Ruchi for a great recipe.This cake is so good.My daughter is a pineapple lover and she loves it. Thank you.
RK says
You are welcome Manmeet and this cake is no doubt everyone’s favorite 🙂
Jyoti Jindal says
Just made this pineapple cake. Can’t keep my hands off it. It’s so yummy. Thanks Ruchi
RK says
You are welcome Jyoti. This cake is no doubt very tasty and will be gone before you know it 🙂