Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake has fresh, sweet pineapple on top light and moist cake underneath. It’s a simple and quick cake that bakes up easily.
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
I have almost always used a box mix to make pineapple upside down cake. And I’ve almost always used canned pineapple to make it, too. But this time, I thought I’d use fresh pineapple and see how it goes. And you know what? I went AWESOME!
Can you use fresh pineapple to make pineapple upside cake?
Yes. Yes, you can. And having made pineapple upside down cake using fresh pineapple, I don’t think I’ll go back to canned. The fresh pineapple makes this cake taste even more delicious. If that’s even possible.
No, you don’t get those perfect rings to put the cherries in. Well, you could, if you had one of those pineapple corer things, but I don’t. I find one trick ponies to take up too much space in my drawers. And I have a ton of things already in several of them. Frustrates the hubs to no end.
What is Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake?
Originally called skillet cakes, it’s a cake that is baked in a pan where the toppings are on the bottom. Once the cake is baked, you invert it onto a plate putting the cake on the bottom and the toppings on the top. Makes sense, right?
Dating back to the middle ages, skillet cakes were made with seasonal fruits like apples, cherries, and peaches. However, it wasn’t until the 1800’s where the upside-down cake first started appearing in publications. Fast forward a hundred years or so and Dole invented canned pineapple. The rings were pretty in the skillet/upside-down cake technique.
Pineapple upside down cake became really popular after the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (aka Dole) sponsored a contest for pineapple recipes. There were so many pineapple upside down cake recipes submitted the company ran an ad about it. This ad made popularity for this cake soar!
Is pineapple upside down cake easy?
Yes! It’s super easy. I used two bowls because I like mixing the liquid and dry separately before adding the two together. You start the butter and brown sugar, then measure out the dry ingredients. Stir the butter mixture often while you combine all the wet ingredients. By the time everything is combined, the butter mixture should be finished.
Then it’s a matter of slicing the pineapple and plopping in some cherries, if you want. Then you pour the caramel over the pineapple. And then the batter over the caramel. Pop it into the oven. Simple as that. The longest is waiting for it to cook.
Just look at that pineapple upside down cake with fresh pineapple!! Doesn’t it just look fresh and delicious?? Those slices of fresh pineapple with their sweet tart flavor. So good on top of the sweet and simple cake. Just a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream and you’re set for dessert.
The cake is moist and slightly sweet. You don’t want the cake overly sweet because the caramel topping will be sweet enough. It’s a hearty cake and not like a bakery style cake. Not that it’s heavy, but it’s not super light and fluffy. I like that because it goes well with the pineapple.
Cherries float. Just saying.
The cherries floated when I poured the batter over them. I was fine with that. The cherries add for a fun and festive pop of color in the golden cake. And you almost have to have them in a pineapple upside down cake. Right?
Yes, you can make this pineapple upside down cake in a cast iron skillet. If you do that, be careful when placing the pineapple pieces and cherries in the hot skillet. It would add a nice crispy edge around the outside I’d imagine. Sort of like cornbread, I’m thinking.
I made mine in a square pan. I used an 8×8 nonstick baking pan which worked perfectly. The plate is just a little small on the corners. This caused a little loss of the precious caramel topping to leak out. Make sure your serving plate is large enough for your pan or else this will happen to you, too.
That color is just drool worthy right?
It’s perfectly caramel colored. And it seeps into the cake making a perfect marriage of flavors. I made this pineapple upside down using plain flour. I never have self-rising flour in the house because you can easily make it if you need it. Which you don’t for this recipe. So, not to worry!
You can cut your pineapple for this fresh pineapple upside down cake any thickness you want. I want with a rather thin slice. I didn’t want the pineapple to be super heavy on top. You will need to think about that when you slice the pineapple.
And yes, you can make this pineapple upside down cake without cherries. Or you could use fresh cherries instead of maraschino cherries. You could also make pineapple upside down cake without brown sugar. You simply use pre-made caramel sauce from the ice cream toppings aisle. I have done that in the past and it turns out well.

Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake has fresh, sweet t on top hand light and moist cake underneath. It's a simple and quick cake that bakes up easily.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups freshly sliced pineapple
- 8 to 10 maraschino cherries
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine the brown sugar and butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until the brown sugar has melted. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until it starts to turn to caramel.
- Place the pineapple slices and cherries in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
- Pour the brown sugar mixture over the pineapple and set aside.
- Combine the egg with the next six ingredients (egg yolk through melted butter).
- Stir with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
- Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a wall in the center and egg the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter over the pineapple and bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
- Cool slightly in the pan before carefully turning the cake out onto a serving plate. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Or just plain.
Nutrition Information
Yield
9Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 306Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 89mgSodium 291mgCarbohydrates 46gFiber 1gSugar 28gProtein 4g
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One of my FAVORITE cakes! Using the fresh pineapple instead of canned – even better
It is a game changer to the recipe.
This is a classic for a reason! I love how easily is comes together!
It is one of my fave go to cakes.
Love that you used fresh pineapple in this cake! I bet it tastes amazing.
It does! I hope you try it next time you make it.