Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake
A bright and cheerful retro favorite featuring a sticky, sweet caramel topping and vibrant fruit over an incredibly tender vanilla sponge cake infused with pineapple juice.
Ingredients
Caramel Fruit Topping
- 565 g canned pineapple slices in juice, not in syrup
- 12-18 pieces maraschino cherries drain these very well
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted completely
- 1/2 cup brown sugar light or dark works fine
Cake Batter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder check expiration dates
- 1/4 tsp baking soda can substitute 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt balances the overall sweetness
- 1/3 cup milk full or low-fat is fine
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice reserved from the canned fruit
- 1/4 cup sour cream full fat, substitute plain yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract vanilla essence also works well
- 115 g unsalted butter softened to 18°C/64°F
- 3/4 cup white sugar granulated provides the best texture
- 2 large eggs must be at room temperature
- leftover pineapple chopped into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. If you are using a fan-forced oven, use 160°C.
- Line a tray with paper towels. Place your pineapple rings and cherries on the towels. Pat them completely dry.
- Pour melted butter into a 23cm/9-inch round pan (at least 5cm/2-inches deep, do not use a springform pan). Brush the butter up the sides.
- Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
- Place one pineapple ring directly in the center. Surround it with halved or whole rings. Place your cherries in the center holes of the pineapple rings. Press the fruit down firmly into the sugar layer.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them together thoroughly.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the milk, sour cream, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk until perfectly smooth.
- Place the softened butter and white sugar into a large mixing bowl. Beat them together on medium-high speed for about two minutes until pale, light, and fluffy.
- Add the room-temperature eggs to the butter mixture one at a time. Beat for twenty seconds after adding each egg.
- Add one-third of your dry flour mixture to the butter. Fold gently. Next, fold in half of your wet milk mixture. Add another third of the flour. Follow that with the remaining milk mixture. Finally, fold in the last of the flour until just combined.
- Gently fold any remaining chopped pineapple pieces into your finished batter.
- Carefully scrape your thick batter over the arranged fruit topping. Spread the batter out gently and level the surface.
- Bake uncovered on the middle rack of your oven for exactly 30 minutes. Remove briefly, loosely cover the top with aluminum foil, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Insert a wooden toothpick directly into the center. It should come out completely clean or with dry crumbs.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for exactly 20 minutes.
- Take a blunt butter knife and run it carefully around the inside edge of the pan. Place your serving platter upside down over the cake pan. In one quick, fluid motion, flip the pan and platter over. Tap the base of the pan gently and slowly lift the pan straight up.
Notes
Let the cake cool entirely before slicing it. Warm cake is incredibly fragile and might crumble right under your knife. Serving it at room temperature allows the flavors to truly shine. It tastes even better on the second day!