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Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Feb 28, 2020
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Can you imagine a world without pineapple upside-down cake? Neither can we! And this recipe is by far the greatest of all time. Brown sugar and butter create a rich, caramel glaze that coats juicy pineapple rings, maraschino cherries and a golden-brown cake—what’s not to love? But the true secret to this cake’s beauty is in the “flip” that happens when you remove it from the oven. It might sound intimidating, but it’s so much easier than you think! The result is a picture-perfect upside-down pineapple cake made from scratch.

More About This Recipe

  • One of the earliest mentions of upside down pineapple cake is in a 1925 Gold Medal™ Flour ad, which featured a golden-brown cake with pineapple slices, cherries and a brown sugar glaze. The cake was a modern marvel because it relied on the recently introduced innovation of canned pineapple rings and preserved maraschino cherries. While it’s been around for a long time, a good cake never goes out of style, so it’s no surprise that Betty’s classic Pineapple Upside-Down Cake recipe is still going strong after decades of popularity. And what’s not to like? Buttery cake gets baked on top of a layer of pineapple slices and cherries in a brown sugar-butter mixture, and when it gets flipped over after baking (it’s easier than you think!), the sweet syrup infuses the pineapple upside down cake with extra flavor. We love this cake so much that we’ve concocted a collection of pineapple upside-down cake recipes.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

  • Prep Time 15 min
  • Total 1 hr 10 min
  • Servings 9
  • Ingredients 11
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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 9 slices pineapple in juice (from 20-oz can), drained
  • 9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
  • 1 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg
Make With
Gold Medal Flour

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
  • Step 
    2
    In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
  • Step 
    3
    Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.

Nutrition

390 Calories
14g Total Fat
4g Protein
62g Total Carbohydrate

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    The cake needs to be turned out of the pan shortly after it’s removed from the oven or the fruit will stick. Be armed with hot pads and a cake plate or board. Allow the fruit to stop bubbling, then place the plate on top of the pan. Carefully lift up the pan, holding th...
  • tip 2
    Considered a classic American cake, pineapple-upside down cake first appeared when canned pineapple become available. But the method of creating a lusciously caramel-like topping for a cake, pastries (like caramel rolls), or bread has a long baking history.
  • tip 3
    The ratio of butter and brown sugar is fairly low, enough to create the rich carmely syrup in the pan, but not so much that the flavor of the fruit is lost.
  • tip 4
    Skip the brightly colored cherries and replace them with candied or crystallized ginger pieces or a cluster cranberries.
  • tip 5
    Try fresh chopped herbs or dried spices added to the brown sugar and butter mixture for a flavor twist.
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