A soft, light sponge cake, topped with sticky caramelized pineapple rings and juicy maraschino cherries. I like to serve this up with a simple pineapple-caramel sauce made using the juice from the tinned pineapple.

A tall, overhead shot of pineapple upside down cake on a white marble cake stand. There is one slice of the cake removed, and on a white plate to the bottom left of the cake stand. Another slice of the cake has been cut and you can see a silver cake slice tucked underneath the separated slice. On the top left of the image, there is a silver spoon, next to it is a clear jar of pineapple syrup. To the top right of the image, there is a white napkin tucked underneath the main cake stand.
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This sweet and sticky sponge doesn’t last long in my house! It’s actually one of Chris’s favourites.

The juice from the pineapple layer perfectly seeps into the fluffy sponge and caramelizes at the bottom, to create this perfectly sweet and sticky layer. Plus when you drizzle the pineapple syrup over it, it just melts into the cake and adds to that lovely tangy-sweet flavour.

Table of Contents

📋 Ingredients

A wide, overhead shot of the ingredients for pineapple upside-down cake laid out on a wooden cutting board. They are as follows: canned pineapple, unsalted butter, plain flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, cocktail cherries, eggs, golden caster sugar, and salt.

Pineapple – Use tinned pineapple for that extra pineapple juice which you can turn into lovely Pineapple Caramel Sauce to serve with!

Cherries – We like using Maraschino Cherries as they give a more vibrant pop of colour compared to the Glacé Cherries.

The ingredients for the pineapple upside-down cake caramel sauce are laid out on one side of a wooden board. On the left side of the wooden board, the ingredients are labelled in white text. They are as follows: pineapple juice from tinned pineapples, unsalted butter, golden caster sugar, and double cream.

How to make it:

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

  1. First, preheat your oven and we can get started on making that gorgeous fruit topping – which of course goes at the bottom of the tin.
  2. Prep by patting the pineapple rings dry with some kitchen roll and mixing the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl. Then, spread the butter mixture over the bottom and sides of the cake tin, and arrange the pineapple rings and cherries along the bottom and sides of the dish, as you can see in the picture below. I use whole pineapple rings on the base, and then chop up the pineapple for the sides.
A wide, overhead prep shot of pineapple upside-down cake. The fruit is laid out in a pattern in a silver cake dish. They are circles of sliced pineapple, with cocktail cherries placed in the empty gaps. This is all placed on a wooden background.
  1. Now, we get to mixing the cake batter. First, using a stand mixer, you whip up the butter and sugar until creamy and add in the eggs one at a time along with a splash of vanilla extract.
  2. Now, you turn off the stand mixture and sift in all of the dry ingredients so the cake is lovely and consistent throughout. Fold in the ingredients gently.
  3. Now spoon in the cake batter over the fruit slices and level out the top using the back of the spoon.
A wide prep shot of Pineapple Upside Down Cake. The cake with the raw cake batter and fruit is in a silver cake pan, with a hand coming from the right of the image, holding a spoon, which smoothes out the top of the cake batter. This is all set on a wooden background.
  1. Now, place on the middle shelf of the oven to cook evenly, for 45 minutes. Once cooked, cool on a cooling rack for 5 – 10 minutes.
  2. This last step is optional but I HIGHLY recommend whipping up some pineapple caramel to serve with. It’s quite simple, you just add the pineapple juice and sugar to a pan on a medium heat until thickened, then stir in the butter until completely melted. Finally, turn off the heat and stir in the cream until you get this lovely, smooth caramel sauce.
  3. Serve with some ice cream and a drizzle of that delightful caramel!

Pro Tip

Make sure to set aside the extra juice left over from the tinned pineapple to make some divine pineapple caramel sauce to drizzle over the top!

This cake is SUPER sweet but the lightness of the sponge and the tangy pineapple balances out this recipe perfectly!

A tall shot of pineapple upside-down cake. In the centre foreground, there is the whole pineapple upside-down cake, with a slice missing. The cake is on a white marble cake stand. In the background, there is a slice of cake on a white plate, with a white napkin tucked behind it. To the right of the background, there is a clear jar of pineapple syrup. This is all set on a white surface.

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🍽️ More tinned-pineapple favourites

Super light and fluffy! The perfect summertime treat. 😋

A tall shot of pineapple upside-down cake. In the centre foreground of the image is a slice of cake on a white plate. The slice has a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it and is drizzled with pineapple sauce by a silver spoon, which is above the cake. In the left of the background, you can see a white napkin and in the centre of the background, you can see the rest of the cake, with the missing slice on a white marble cake stand. This is all set on a white surface.

🍰 More Delicious Cakes

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A tall, overhead shot of pineapple upside down cake on a white marble cake stand. A slice of the cake has been cut from the cake and you can see a silver cake slice tucked underneath the separated slice. On the top right of the image, there is a silver spoon, next to it is a clear jar of pineapple syrup. To the left of the image, you can slightly see a white plate. To the right of the image, there is a white napkin tucked underneath the main cake stand. This is all set on a white surface.
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5 from 1 vote

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

By Nicky Corbishley
A soft, light sponge cake, topped with sticky caramelized pineapple rings and juicy maraschino cherries. I like to serve this up with a simple pineapple-caramel sauce made using the juice from the tinned pineapple.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 – 10 slices
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: American, British

Ingredients

For the Pineapple Topping:

  • 12 pineapple rings from a tin (this is approx 3 x 227g tins pineapple in juice)
  • 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter (softened) + a little extra for greasing the tin.
  • 60 g (4 1/2 tbsp) light brown sugar
  • 25 maraschino cherries (this is approx 1 x 225g jar)

For the Cake Batter:

  • 125 g (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) unsalted butter (softened)
  • 125 g (2/3 cup) golden caster sugar (or use regular caster/superfine sugar)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 125 g (1 cup + 1/2 tsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt

For the Pineapple Caramel Sauce:

  • 240 ml (1 cup) reserved juice from the tinned pineapple
  • 125 g (2/3 cup) golden caster sugar (or use regular caster/superfine sugar)
  • 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 160C/320F (fan) and lightly grease a 9" (23cm) baking tin (*see note 1).

For the Pineapple Topping:

  • Take the pineapple rings out of the tins of juice, reserving the juice for later, and pat the pineapple rings dry with some paper towels.
    12 pineapple rings from a tin
  • Mix together the softened butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.
    60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, 60 g (4 1/2 tbsp) light brown sugar
  • Spread the butter and sugar mixture over the base and half way up the sides of the greased baking tin.
  • Arrange the pineapple rings in the base and along the sides of the baking tin. I use 7 rings for the base, then chop the remaining slices into halves or quarters to fit them around the sides of the tin.
  • Add the cherries into the base of the baking tin, arranging evenly inside and around the pineapple rings (see image).
    25 maraschino cherries

Make the Cake Batter:

  • Place the softened butter and sugar into a bowl or stand mixer and beat together until creamy.
    125 g (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) unsalted butter, 125 g (2/3 cup) golden caster sugar
  • Reduce the speed of the stand mixer and add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract too.
    2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Turn off the stand mixer and sift in the dry ingredients.
    125 g (1 cup + 1/2 tsp) plain (all-purpose) flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch of salt
  • Fold or gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
  • Spoon the cake batter into the tin all over the pineapple slices (it might not look like there's enough batter, but the cake will rise).
  • Place the tin in the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Once baked leave to cool on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate ready for serving. Don't leave longer than 10 minutes, as the sugar will start to set and it may be difficult to get the pineapple out of the dish.

Make the Pineapple Caramel Sauce (optional):

  • Whilst the cake is cooling add the pineapple juice and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over a medium to high heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, the mixture has reduced by three-quarters and has started to turn to a light caramel colour.
    240 ml (1 cup) reserved juice from the tinned pineapple, 125 g (2/3 cup) golden caster sugar
  • Add the butter and stir together until it has completely melted and combined. Bring to a gentle bubble.
    60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • Turn off the heat and pour in the cream whilst stirring continuously.
    120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream

Serve:

  • Serve a slice of the pineapple upside down cake with some ice cream and a good drizzle of that caramel sauce

Notes

Note 1 – The baking tin.
I’m using a 9″ or 23cm non-stick baking tin, don’t be tempted to use a springform tin for this recipe as the mixture will leak out of the bottom.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, make the cake and cool it, then, place in an air-tight container and refrigerate. It should keep like this for 3-4 days.
I like to warm up individual slices in the microwave (about 20 seconds is enough) and top with ice cream and sauce.

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, including the serving suggestion of Pineapple Caramel Sauce. This recipe serves 8 slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 963IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

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Comments

  1. caroline says:

    5 stars
    Wow, this recipe looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it out this weekend. Thanks for sharing🤗!I’ve been using FoodHub for a few months now, and I’m hooked! The variety of cuisines and recipes available is incredible, and I love that I can easily filter by dietary preferences. It’s made meal planning so much simpler and more enjoyable.

    Reply
  2. Jean Suttling says:

    Thank you for this beautiful recipe. I can’t wait to make it, which I’m planning to do tomorrow! X

    Reply