Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic dessert that is made and then flipped over to show the gorgeous pineapple, cherries, caramel and more.

I had never made one before but I now know why this cake was so hugely popular back in the 50’s and 60’s. It was around for much longer than that but those decades seem to be when everyone was making it.

Recipe Ingredients

Topping

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 6 canned pineapple rings
• 6 maraschino cherries
• 5 pecan halves

Cake

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice

How to Make Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Drain the pineapple reserving 1/2 cup of the juice.

To make the topping melt the butter and pour it into a 9 1/2″ cake pan (you may want to spray this first with cooking spray, I didn’t and my cake came out fine). Sprinkle in brown sugar and stir to combine. Arrange the pineapple slices, putting a cherry into the middle of each ring and a pecan half at the edge between each slice. Set aside.

For the cake cream the shortening and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well until smooth and creamy. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the flour mixture alternatively with the pineapple juice and beat well after each addition scraping down the sides. Spread over the pineapple.

Bake for 40-45 min. until golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 5 min. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto a cake platter. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired or let cool completely.

Dole started canning pineapple rings just after the turn of the century and pineapple replaced apples and cherries that had been popular until then. It has a huge flavor and is so delicious. My little cake was gobbled right down.

With its ooey gooey caramel topping and the wonderful taste of pineapple, cherries, and a little pecan, you can’t get anything better and it was so easy to make. I will be making this one again for sure!!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Tara Noland

A delicious and easy cake that looks so impressive and pulled right out of the 1960s. This Pineapple Upside Down Cake has been a favorite for so many years.

4.80 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 442 kcal

Ingredients

 

Topping

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 6 canned pineapple rings
• 6 maraschino cherries
• 5 pecan halves

Cake

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F. Drain the pineapple reserving 1/2 cup of the juice.
• To make the topping melt the butter and pour it into a 9 1/2" cake pan (you may want to spray this first with cooking spray, I didn’t and my cake came out fine). Sprinkle in brown sugar and stir to combine. Arrange the pineapple slices, putting a cherry into the middle of each ring and a pecan half at the edge between each slice. Set aside.
• For the cake cream the shortening and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well until smooth and creamy. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the flour mixture alternatively with the pineapple juice and beat well after each addition scraping down the sides. Spread over the pineapple.
• Bake for 40-45 min. until golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 5 min. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto a cake platter. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired or let cool completely.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 442kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 287mgFiber: 2gSugar: 58g

Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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