Pineapple upside-down cake is a cake turned upside down to reveal a gorgeous presentation. It’s a soft buttermilk cake baked on top of sweet-juicy caramelized pineapples.

I remember the first time I tried a pineapple upside-down cake. It was at my brother’s place, and a fellow church friend had brought it over. I had never seen a cake like it before, so I asked the question “What is it?” The reply I got was “It’s a pineapple upside-down cake” and the undertone was “isn’t it obvious?” Lol, I guess it is kind of obvious looking at the cake. So after I felt stupid for asking such a silly question, I walked away and ate my slice of cake. The delightful cake made up for the embarrassing moment:)

What impressed me about the cake was not only that was it delicious, but the presentation was also so pretty. The pineapples were arranged like a flower with a pop of gorgeous red maraschino cherries.

This recipe from Add a Pinch is simple, and uses melted butter and buttermilk for a rich tender cake. I did reduce the sugar a bit because I remember the cake being very sweet from the brown sugar sauce, and I added a splash of vanilla for more flavor.

This pineapple upside-down cake is incredibly soft and moist with a lovely scent of caramel and vanilla baked into the cake. It’s bursting with the sweet flavors of brown sugar and pineapples. It’s also pretty enough to serve as a center piece on any dining room table.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Sweet-juicy caramelized pineapple slices baked underneath a soft, rich and buttery cake, turned upside down to reveal a gorgeous presentation! #pineappleupsidedowncake #upsidedowncake #pineapplecake #buttercake

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

This pineapple upside-down cake is incredibly soft and moist with a lovely scent of caramel and vanilla baked into the cake.

Author: Lily Ernst
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 55 min
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 8-10 1x
Category: dessert
Method: bake
Cuisine: American

Scale

Ingredients

Base

1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
7-8 pineapple slices, patted dry
13–15 maraschino cherries without stems

Cake

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º.
To prepare the base; pour the melted butter into a 9″ round deep-dish pie plate or deep-dish cake pan. Use a rubber spatula to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom surface. Then place the pineapple slices on top. Add the cherries to the center and in between each pineapple slice.
To prepare the cake; in a medium bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Then whisk in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until combined. Pour the batter over the pineapples and cherries. Place on top of a baking sheet to prevent any of the brown sugar and butter bubbly over and burning onto the bottom of your oven.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
When ready to serve, place a serving plate face down over the cake. Then invert the cake onto the serving plate.