Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
Easy pineapple upside down cake recipe is a long-standing, old-fashioned favorite for a reason!
It’s sweet, moist and loaded with caramelized pineapples that make it truly irresistible.
Plus, making desserts with fruit really sweetens and shakes things up.
Be sure to check out the rest of our best cake recipes, too!
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History of Upside-Down Pineapple Cake
The pineapple upside down cake is a classic American dessert that dates back to the early 20th century.
The origins of the pineapple upside down cake are somewhat unclear, but it is believed to have been inspired by the popularity of canned pineapple in the early 1900s.
Pineapple was a relatively exotic fruit at the time, and canning made it more widely available and affordable.
Recipes for pineapple upside down cake began appearing in women’s magazines and cookbooks in the 1920s and 1930s, and the cake quickly became a favorite in households across America.
The pineapple upside down cake has remained a popular dessert over the years, and has been adapted in many different ways.
Some variations use different fruits, such as peaches or apples, while others add nuts or spices to the cake batter.
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Either way, the cake’s signature caramelized fruit topping and moist, buttery texture make it a beloved classic.
A special thanks to the expert chefs at Dole Packaged Foods’ test kitchen at dolesunshine.com.
Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients for Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake:
- 2/3 cup margarine, divided
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 can (20 ounces) Dole Pineapple Slices
- 10 maraschino cherries
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Directions for Cake:
Step 1: Heat oven to 350 F.
Step 2: In 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 1/3 cup margarine. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and stir until blended.
Step 3: Drain pineapple slices; reserve 2 tablespoons syrup. Arrange pineapple slices in sugar mixture. Place cherry in center of each slice.
Step 4: Beat remaining 1/3 cup margarine with 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, lemon peel, lemon juice and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Blend into creamed mixture alternately with sour cream and reserved pineapple syrup.
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Step 5: Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar to make stiff meringue. Fold into batter. Pour over pineapple in skillet.
Step 6: Bake 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes then invert onto serving plate. Serve warm or cold.
Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
Easy pineapple upside down cake recipe is a long-standing, old-fashioned favorite for a reason! It's sweet, moist and loaded with caramelized pineapples that make it truly irresistible.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup margarine, divided
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 can (20 ounces) Dole Pineapple Slices
- 10 maraschino cherries
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 F.
- In 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 1/3 cup margarine. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and stir until blended.
- Drain pineapple slices; reserve 2 tablespoons syrup. Arrange pineapple slices in sugar mixture. Place cherry in center of each slice.
- Beat remaining 1/3 cup margarine with 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, lemon peel, lemon juice and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Blend into creamed mixture alternately with sour cream and reserved pineapple syrup.
- Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar to make stiff meringue. Fold into batter. Pour over pineapple in skillet.
- Bake 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes then invert onto serving plate. Serve warm or cold.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 418Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 1gSugar: 38gProtein: 4g
Nutrient values are only estimates provided by online calculators. Various factors can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
For more mouth-watering cake ideas!
The Perfect Cake: Your Ultimate Guide to Classic, Modern, and Whimsical Cakes
Cake Decorating for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Decorating Like a ProMartha Stewart’s Cake Perfection: 100+ Recipes for the Sweet Classic, from Simple to Stunning: A Baking BookThe Great British Baking Show: The Big Book of Amazing Cakes
Don’t miss out on our other family friendly recipes!
This looks so yummy! Also, it’s a pretty cake 😉
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
Hi Jennifer, What a beautiful upside-down cake! I always loved these, especially the ones my mother made when I was a child! Thanks for the memories! Blessings, Janet
My mom NEVER made these when I was a kid, ha! But I do have an appreciation for the classics, particularly this one.
Drool! One of the only cakes I truly love! I like that used sour cream in the batter too!
I find that using sour cream makes the cake even more moist… Happy baking!
I love pineapple cake of any kind. Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday. Pinned and shared!
How do you make if you don’t have cast iron skillet?
I like working with heavier skillets like a cast iron skillet because they distribute the heat better. But you can make it with a regular skillet for sure.
I made this and the batter was thick and did not “pour”, nor did it rise….just looked like a thick ball of dough laying on top! 🙁 What could I have done wrong? Followed all the instructions and didn’t miss any ingredients…
Oh no! I would ask if you used the extra pineapple syrup… and you may need to add a little extra if any extra flour gets into the mix…
Yum! I love pineapple upside down cake!
Thanks for sharing! Yours is beautiful!
Chippy White Cottage Blessings,
Rebecca
For a desert that is mentioned all the time, I can’t believe I’ve never actually had Pineapple Upside-Down cake. I’m pinning this so I can try it.
I love this. If vintage were a desert, this would be it.
Amalia
xo
Pineapple upside down cake always brings me happy memories when I was a kid 🙂 Your cake looks so delicious and yum! Wish I could eat it right now. Thanks for joining us at the Family Joy Blog Link up party. Pinned 🙂 xoxo
I love pineapple upside down cake! Thanks for the recipe!
Yummmmm! I can seriously taste this now and sadly it isn’t right in front of me 😉 Thank you for sharing this with us at Funtastic Friday!
I’m running behind!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe for this beautiful cake on last week’s What’s for Dinner link up!
This would make a great Easter dessert! Or for any spring celebration really. Pinned and sharing. Thank you for joining us at Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party. I hope you will join our next party starting today at noon EST.
We love Pineapple Upside Down Cake, this looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Yummy!!! I remember my Granny making these for me in college.
Thanks for sharing at #bloggerspotlight!!
Yum…brings back memories from my childhood!!
What a beautiful cake! Great recipe! boo@boowrites.com