The classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake gets an upgrade when turned into a bundt cake! This recipe is easy to make and so delicious!
Hello, friends! So it has come to my attention that this lil cake has been very popular on Pinterest lately, so I decided to re-make it and give it some new, prettier pictures. What do you think?! And in case you clicked on a totally different image on Pinterest and this is where you ended up, worry not. You're in the right place 🙂 Here is my Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake! Because when making an upside-down cake, why not make it in a pan that's meant to be inverted? 😉
As it goes with most of my recipes, I actually had not made this pineapple upside down bundt cake since I blogged it the first time around! Which was in...ehh... 2013. Oops. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how good this cake was after all this time! Pineapple upside down cake is one of those classic, old-school recipes that everyone should know how to make. This one starts with a quick and easy homemade caramel, which then gets topped with the traditional pineapple slices and cherries, and gets topped off by a thick, buttery cake batter. I will say that this cake comes out closer to a dense pound cake than a fluffy white cake, so a small slice is plenty!
That being said, this cake is still super moist and soft! With the caramel and pineapple slices on top {bottom?!} and chunks of pineapple mixed in, it practically melts in your mouth. And the bottom gets crunchy and caramelized and it's basically the best thing ever. This pineapple upside down bundt cake recipe may be old-fashioned, but I think that's part of the reason it's so irresistible. This is really deceivingly easy to make, and with the gorgeous presentation and the amazing flavor, you'll impress anyone you serve this to 😉 Happy baking!
{Adapted from Good Housekeeping’s Best-Loved Desserts}
pineapple upside down bundt cake
Ingredients
- 1 20 oz can of pineapple rings in juice
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter + 12 tbsp separated
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice {from the can}
- 6 maraschino cherries more or less as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and spray or butter + flour a bundt pan very well. Set aside.
- In a small nonstick pot, melt together the 2 tablespoons of butter and the brown sugar. Add in two tablespoons of pineapple juice {from the can}, and whisk vigorously.
- Let the mixture boil for about a minute, then remove from heat. Pour the caramel into your prepared bundt pan, and top with slices of pineapple. My pan fit 6, yours may fit more or less!
- Place a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple slice, and set aside.
- Drain the remaining pineapple slices {if any}, and chop roughly. These will be added to the cake batter in a little bit.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter and the white sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
- Add in half the flour, the baking powder, and the salt, and mix until combined.
- Pour in the milk and pineapple juice, mix again, then add in the remaining flour.
- Fold in the chopped pineapple chunks, then pour the batter on top of your prepared caramel and pineapple.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool slightly, then invert onto a serving plate. If any pineapple sticks to the pan, just remove and replace on the cake... nobody will know. Serve warm!
Kari says
This has always been one of my favorite classic desserts!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Kelsea says
I made this tonight for a party tomorrow and it bakes beautifully. Mine only took 45 minute, but my oven runs hot. We cannot wait to try it! I'll update with a final verdict soon. ?
valentina says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Kelsea! Can't wait to see what you think! 🙂
Katarina says
I just made this cake tonight and its DELICIOUS!!!! I'm glad you had a recipe thats made from scratch instead of a box like so many pineapple upside down cake recipes are. NOTHING beats a cake made from scratch.
Joe says
I made this cake for an office party. Everyone loved it. It tasted great. Thanks for the recipe!
Everett Anderson says
I added the correct amount of milk and pineapple juice and the mix is still thick. Should it be
valentina says
Hi Everett! Yes, the cake batter gets pretty thick. I'd say it's somewhere between traditional cake batter and cookie dough!
Courtney says
Hi! I'm making this cake today for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Does the butter need to be softened, or just out of the fridge? Thanks!
valentina says
Hi Courtney! So sorry for not replying to you sooner!! The butter needs to be at room temperature or at least soft. Hope the recipe worked out for you!
Azucena says
I just made this today, and it came out perfect! It is deli deli delious I am
Def saving this recipe and making it again.
Kathy Siewert says
My daughter wants me to make this for her bridal shower. I will need to make it the day before due to time restraints. Will this cake still be good eaten cold the next day?
valentina says
Hi Kathy! You can absolutely make it the day before and refrigerate it. If you're not wanting it to be cold, just take it out of the fridge the morning of and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours. That will help the cake have a softer texture too! 🙂
Billy says
Is 1 eggs correct?
valentina says
Hi Billy! Thank you so much for catching that, it should be 2 eggs. I fixed it now. Apparently some people have made it with one egg and it's still worked fine!
Becky says
Can this be right?? 2 tbsp unsalted butter + 12 tbsp, separated
Should it be "plus 1/2 tbsp" ??
Thanks!
valentina says
Hi Becky! Yes, this is correct. You use 2 tbsp to make the caramel sauce, and the 12 tbsp go inside the actual cake batter. Hope this helps. 🙂
YVONNE METIVA says
Can you tell why my pineapple stuck to pan ? I put them on cake still looks good. Will be eating tomorrow. Looks yummy. I did sprayed and flowered pan.
valentina says
Hi Yvonne! I'm sorry to hear that! It may have been if the cake cooled for too long in the pan. The caramel could have hardened and made the pineapple stick! I recommend flipping the cake over while it's still warm to make sure it comes out nicely. Hope that helps!!
Rebekah says
I followed the instructions and the cake came out looking great but then it’s started falling apart and broke into 3 pieces. I am not sure what I did wrong. I’m assuming its because the bottom of my cake isn’t flat
valentina says
Hi Rebekah! I am so sorry to hear that your cake fell apart!! Hopefully it still tasted good and you were able to enjoy it! It may be due to the bottom of your cake not being flat after baked. Also, if you turned your cake out of the pan when it was still a little too hot, that could have caused some issues too.
Ashley says
Major flop. It fell into pieces and wasn't at all fixable. 🙁 Disappointing since I read so many positive reviews.
valentina says
Hi Ashley! I’m so sorry the cake didn’t work out for you! The only thing I can think of is that either the pan wasn’t greased enough, or it sat in the pan to cool off for too long before flipping out and the caramel hardened and stuck to the pan.
Heather says
I made a few changes nothing big but I added a can of 15oz of pinapple,
juice and all and blended it in the blender,
I also added two more cans of pineapples and their juice to the batter,
One of the cans I cut up and put in the batter the other I put it on top as suggested.
I also put 3/4 cups of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar,
instead of 1 1/3 rd granulated sugar or white sugar
Instead of 1 1/2 sticks of butter I put 2.
And I doubled the carmel sauce.
I put half the carmel sauce in the top and brushed the other onto the cupcakes.
And I was able to make the cake which took 40 min.
I filled the cake batter about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the bunt pan.
And 21 cup cakes,
and used the 1/4 cup to fill them just right.
Cake took 40 min.
Cupcakes took 25 min.
Other than that I followed the directions.
It's my first time cooking A Pinapple Cake Don't get me wrong I'm always cooking something, just my first time on this kind of cake.
I'm a Wife Of The Most Wonderful Husband Imaginable and Mother Of 3 Wonderfully Beautiful Children.
Always In The Kitchen Cooking Something up.
But now let's talk about how wonderfully Fantastic this cake is, It's so moist and not to overwhelmingly sweet I mean it's the perfect sweetness.
All in all the cake is Wonderful.
Alan Maltby says
Thank you Valentina. Just made this today in my new Bundt tin and was fabulous. So tasty and light. Glad I tried it out. I’m from the UK but have American cups. One question. Is there a way to convert the tablespoons of butter to grams?
Thanks again for a great cake!
valentina says
Hey Alan! So happy you enjoyed the cake! 🙂 I just took a quick peek at my box of butter and it says 1 tablespoon of butter is 14g. Hope this helps!
Alan Maltby says
Thank you so much! That makes it easier for me rather than putting the butter in a tablespoon. I should have thought of that myself ????. The cake has all gone by the way in less than 24hrs, Guess it was a hit in my household so will be making another one ????
Karin Lopez says
I've made this before and it's got to be the best one I've tried. I want to make it again how's this time in a 9x13 pan. I'm working would you keep the measurements the same?
valentina says
Hi Karin! I would say these recipe proportions can be converted into an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan but I think it would be too thin for a 9x13! I recommend 1.5x or 2x the recipe for it to come out correctly.
Nece says
Great recipe - a family favorite. I use 3 eggs and add sour cream. Last month I had a request to add rum. I can add rum to the caramel but can I also add to the cake - maybe a 1/4 cup?
valentina says
Hi Nece! I am so glad you are a fan of this recipe! The rum addition sounds delicious - I would maybe substitute half of the milk with rum so that the batter does not end up too runny. Let me know if you try it!
Belinda says
Wonderful recipe. I had one issue that maybe you can help me with. The cake flipped perfect, taste awesome, but it was very crumbly. What would cause that? Any ideas or hints greatly appreciated.
Thank you
valentina says
Hi Belinda! If the cake was a bit dry and crumbly for you, it may have been overbaked! Not every oven runs exactly the same, so yours may run a bit warmer than mine. Yours may be ready at the 45 minute mark. I recommend starting to check your cake every 5 minutes once it hits the 40-45 minute mark and taking it out once a toothpick inserted produces no crumbs or very few dry crumbs 🙂 Hope that helps!!
Clarice says
So nice to see a recipe that doesn’t use cake mix. I’ve never managed to get a cake out of a Bundt unbroken but there’s always a first time!
Just wondered though what size Bundt pan you use? Mine holds 8 cups but I think in the US they are bigger? 12 cups maybe?
valentina says
Hi Clarice! It can be tricky to get a bundt pan to come out of the mold, especially one like this that has a sticky caramel sauce. If you're able to get it in your area, I swear by "baking spray" which contains oil and flour for a perfect nonstick coating. If not, the traditional buttering and flouring the pan work well, just be very thorough! It also helps to turn out the cake before it's completely cooled, otherwise the caramel sauce will solidify to the bottom. And you are correct about the pan size! I use NordicWare bundt pans and this size, per their site, is "10-12 cup capacity." Hope this helps!