Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

How to Make the Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake

With just a few steps this easy pineapple upside down cake recipe, made with Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix, canned pineapple slices, brown sugar, and cherries, will turn out perfectly and bring a lot of raves from those who get to enjoy it!

Here’s how to make our easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake:

Make the Glaze: Melt butter in the bottom of the cake pan and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Arrange the Fruit: Arrange pineapple slices and maraschino cherries on the brown sugar.

Make the Cake: Pineapple juice from the can of pineapple is used to make the cake with the cake mix. It will infuse the cake with tropical flavor! Pour the batter over the fruit in the pan.

Bake the Cake and Flip it Over: It is easy to flip the cake over onto a heatproof platter. See the recipe for simple directions.

Making Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Cake Mix

Making pineapple-upside down cake with a cake mix means there is only 15 minutes of prep required to get it into the oven. With a cake that quick to put together, you can make it any time you want. The 5-star rating from nearly 1,000 of our fans will attest to the quick prep and amazing flavor.

What makes this cake special, is instead of adding water with the vegetable oil and eggs that are called for on the cake mix box to make the cake, all the pineapple juice leftover from the can of pineapple slices is used in the cake to replace some of the water. That means you won’t waste anything from the can of pineapple and the cake takes on a delicious, pineapple flavor without the need to buy any additional ingredients!

If you want to make pineapple-upside down cake from scratch, we have also got a 5-star rated Pineapple Upside-Down Cake made with your own pantry ingredients. Whichever recipe you choose, you will love the results from recipes well-tested by professionals in the Betty Crocker Kitchens.

The Most Delicious Pineapple Upside Down Cake Toppings

The classic toppings of pineapple and cherries in a buttery-rich, caramelly glaze on old-fashioned Pineapple Upside-Down cake are so pretty, you don’t have to frost the cake with any kind of frosting or add any other decorations to make this cake any more attractive! The pineapple slices and maraschino cherries are arranged before the cake batter is added, so that they create an eye-catching top once the cake is flipped over.

If you want a show-stopper dessert, you can top pieces of the cake (or put it on the side, so the cute top of the cake still shows) with a simple pineapple upside down topping such as either a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

You can make your own Homemade Whipped Cream, use frozen (thawed) whipped topping or whipped cream from a pressurized aerosol can. The rich dairy flavor of the cream will make the caramel and pineapple flavors of the cake even more decadent.

What Ingredients Do You Need for the Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake?

These easy-to-find Pineapple Upside-Down Cake ingredients come together to create the best pineapple upside-down cake recipe our fans rave about:

Butter: Not only does butter add a rich flavor to the caramelized topping, but it also coats the bottom of the pan, so the cake will not stick to it.

Brown Sugar: Mixed with the butter, these two ingredients form a simple caramel-like glaze that coats the fruit with amazing flavor.

Canned Pineapple: Not only are the slices of pineapple used for this cake, but all the juice as well, infusing the cake with tropical flavor.

Maraschino Cherries: Bright and sweet, these cheery little gems add a lot of color to the top of the cake as well as flavor.

Super Moist Cake Mix: Starting with a well-trusted cake mix means less measuring for you and assurance your cake will bake up perfectly, no matter your baking skill level.

Vegetable Oil and Eggs: Vegetable oil adds moistness and tenderness to the cake while eggs give it structure and lift. The cake turns out fluffy, tender, and moist, so you won’t want to miss eating even a crumb of it.

How to Store Pineapple Upside Down Cake

For the freshest flavor and the best cake texture, it’s best to make and serve this cake on the same day. If you have any leftovers, here is how to store them so that you can continue to enjoy it over the next few days:
Store pineapple upside-down cake covered in the refrigerator to retain the texture and moistness as much as possible and enjoy it within 2 or 3 days. As the cake is stored, the top will become less moist while the cake around the fruit will continue to absorb juice, making the texture softer and less cake-like.

We do not recommend freezing this pineapple upside-down cake recipe as the freezing and thawing will also change the texture of the cake and the moistness.