Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is simple, delicious, and, thanks to the beautiful caramelized fruit topping, you don’t even need to decorate it!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Rest Time 35

Total Time 1 35

Servings (9-inch) cake

Calories 3774kcal

Pour melted butter into a 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish. Swirl to coat the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the dish.
Pat pineapple slices with a towel to remove excess liquid. Place one slice in the center of the pan. Arrange 6 more around it. If you’d like, cut 3 more slices in half and arrange standing up around the sides of the pan. Place a cherry in the center of each slice and to fill in any other gaps between slices.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together sour cream and milk.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla.
Beating on low speed, add a third of the flour, mixing just until combined. Add half of the sour cream mixture, beating just until combined. Continue alternating with the remaining flour and sour cream mixture. Stop occasionally to scrape down the bowl.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and carefully spread to the edges of the pan.
Place the cake pan on a large baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. You may want to cover with foil after 30 minutes if the cake is already golden brown.
Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Place a cake plate or stand over the top of the cake and carefully invert. Cool for another 20 minutes or completely before serving.

Blot the pineapple and cherries. Excess liquid can lead to a soggy cake.
Weigh the flour. Using a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure flour. If you don’t have one, make sure to fluff the flour first and then spoon it into your measuring cup. Then, level it off with the back of a knife to ensure you don’t overpack the flour.
Use room temperature ingredients. For the cake batter, the eggs, butter, milk, and sour cream should be at room temperature to ensure they incorporate into the batter evenly. If you’ve forgotten about the eggs, you can quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes. See my post for how to soften butter if you need a quick option for butter!
To boost the pineapple flavor, use the pineapple juice left from the can of slices in place of the milk. Be sure that the pineapple slices you use are packed in juice, not syrup.