Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Name: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Prep time: 20

5.0

5.0 out of 5 stars (based on 17 reviews)

20 min prep

8 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

9 ingredients

The classic version of this 1970s cake is usually sticky, sweet, and dotted with bright red maraschino cherries. We’ve given it a proper update in our version. Naturally sweet fresh pineapple and whole wheat pastry...

½ medium ripe pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temperature, plus 1 tablespoon
⅓ cup fine brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk, as needed

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

227 cals

Fat

13 g

Saturated Fat

8 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

1 g

Monounsaturated Fat

4 g

Carbohydrates

26 g

Sugar

13 g

Fiber

3 g

Protein

4 g

Sodium

187 mg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the pineapple crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces.
Grease an 8-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with the extra tablespoon of sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices neatly in the pan. Set aside while you make the batter.
Combine the softened butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder over the wet ingredients. Beat all the ingredients together with an electric whisk until well blended. If the mixture is stiff, add a little milk to bring the batter to dropping consistency (where a small amount of the batter will fall off a spoon if gently shaken).
Spoon the batter gently over the pineapple with a spatula. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake sit for 5 minutes. Run a knife round the edges to loosen it, then set a plate over the top and turn the whole thing upside down. Tap all over the bottom of the baking pan and lift it off the cake. You will have a cake with sticky, caramelized pineapple topping. Serve warm.

Chef Tips

A cast iron skillet is the best for making upside-down cakes. They heat evenly.

If your pineapple isn’t quite ripe, leave it in a warm place like the top of your stove for a day so that the sugars start to come up.

Registered Dietitian Approved

Our recipes, articles, and videos are reviewed by our oncology-trained dietitians to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake