My girls have gone to bed, spent from hours spent in a friends pool, stuffed from the delicious food they ate there. As I sit here and soak in the quiet I can not help but think about how each one of these days goes towards knitting the fabric of their lives. Nothing has quite the charm of memories and there is something ever more alluring about the present when you are cognisant of it creating memories for the future. One of my childhood memories is of my mother baking cakes in her orange cake pan, orange on the outside grey on the inside. That pan is still going strong as is the memory of my mother flipping over her Pineapple Upside Down Cake with bated breath. That moment of hesitation, the exhale of relief, that I remember.
Ask me how the cake was and I honestly don't. I remember the incandescent syrupy cherries, the opening of the can of pineapples, but the taste eludes me. I wouldn't be surprised if I never ate it. In my world there was chocolate and vanilla and apples and possibly mangoes were the only acceptable fruit. Pineapple Upside Down Cake no matter how moist would not have made the cut.
Honestly, I am a little relieved. The exacting standard of memory can be a little tough to live up to! With this recipe which took a little tweaking I have achieved the three things I wanted to. One, I wanted to take advantage of the fresh pineapple that is available. Two, I wanted it to be very moist. Three, I wanted it to be sweet, but not cloyingly so. This Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a keeper. I love that it is a "retro" dessert that my little girl adores. What amuses me slightly more is that my big one refuses to eat much of it. One day, kiddo, one day.
This cake flips over remarkably well, but mind you the pineapple adds to the juiciness of the topping so if you skimp on the pineapple or don't place a piece in the centre you may get some rough spots. Those have a charm of their own, but I think all things delicious are charming. Maraschino cherries are not my thing, but should you like them then feel free to add some on!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
For Topping
- 200 g pineapple slices about 2-2.5 cups cubed or half a cored pineapple
- 4 tbsp butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup brown sugar
- pinch of salt
For the Cake
- 1 ⅔ cup flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 stick butter half a cup at room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or a few drops lemon or orange extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- Spread the melted butter on the bottom of the pan and use a brush or clean fingers to grease the sides as well
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter
- Arrange pineapple chunks or slices. I cut my slices about ¼ inch thick.
- Cream room temp butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one by one, beat for about a minute after each addition.
- Pour in the extract you are using and beat for another 30 seconds.
- Alternately mix in your dry ingredients and milk in 2-3 batches just until the ingredients are used up and a cohesive batter is formed.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes depending or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes before inverting on to your serving plate.
- Absolutely divine warm.
Other Nostalgic Sweets
"Eat with a Spoon Good" Vanilla Bean Custard
Zakkiya says
Thanks so much for the pineapple upside down cake recipe. I bought a pineapple two days ago can't wait to try it out.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hope it turned out well! Sorry, just fixed issues w my comments section and am getting back to you now
Kathy says
I just made this and it came out great! Thank you for the recipe!
Sarah Mir says
Thrilled to hear that Kathy! Thanks for the review and rating!
Marissa (@pinchandswirl) says
This looks wonderful! My father-in-law's birthday is next weekend and this is his favorite cake. I'm going to try your recipe. 🙂 What diameter cake pan did you use? Thanks!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Marissa I am so sorry for the delay! I used an 8-inch I believe and I know this is horribly late, but I was having major technical difficulties w comments!
Sparkly Sunflower Clare says
This is one of my favourite cakes - reminds me of summers of old, but one rarely sees it these days!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Isn't that a shame? Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Hibah says
Can I use canned pineapple slice or does it have to be fresh?
Sarah Mir says
You totally can!
Michelle says
Immediately takes me back to my childhood.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Isn't that so nice sometimes? It makes me happy 🙂
Eraj says
That looks beautiful 🙂 and so classic! Never mustered up the courage to try upside down cakes
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
do itttttt 🙂
nada says
hi
can i use canned pineapple instead of fresh ones?
and can i add the juice to the recipe?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi! You absolutely can just please pat them dry. In terms of the juice I am not sure how that would work here but if you try it do let me know!
Gail says
Very good!!
Sarah Mir says
thank you!
Khadija Asangani says
Hi! Just recently found your amazing website!! Can I subsitute butter with oil??
Sarah Mir says
Hi Khadjia! I haven't tried myself but I think if you were to sub it out then 3/4 cup oil is plenty!
Gillian says
OMG—this was the best pineapple upside down cake I ever made, and I made a lot! It looked just like the picture. I had 2 pieces the first day. Will be making this again 🥰
Sarah Mir says
that is FANTASTIC to hear! thank you!
Lacy says
What size pan?
Sarah Mir says
Works in both an 8 and a 9 inch! I’ll edit the recipe thank you
K says
hi what flour is it, self raising or plain flour?
Sarah Mir says
plain flour!
Denise Dean says
Good evening. Will buttermilk work or have you tried it?
Sarah Mir says
It will work! The recipe has a little baking soda which works well with buttermilk - happy baking!
Vron says
How many grams is a stick of butter?
I'm Australian and living in Europe and don't know this measurement. I'm looking forward to trying the recipe, my mum use to make it 🙂
Sarah Mir says
My apologies! It’s 113g!
Vron says
Arrr I see you have ½ cup for the stick of butter or i googled 113g! Please dismiss previous msg.
Sarah Mir says
Oops just saw this!
cat says
what inch pan do you need?????
Sarah Mir says
A standard 9 inch pan works! Smaller (8 inch) can too, but you just need to give it a little more time then
Victoria says
What size pan did you use?
Sarah Mir says
9-inch!