Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Course Cakes, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword pineapple-upside-down-cake, southern-pineapple-upside-down-cake

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 20

Servings pieces

Calories 584kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a non-stick metal 13x9-inch cake pan with baking spray. Set aside.
On the stove top in a small saucepan melt together 1/2 cup butter with 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar. Stir and cook just until combined then remove from the heat and pour into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Arrange the pineapple rings over the brown sugar mixture then place a maraschino cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
In a large bowl use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream together the remaining 3/4 cup butter, sugar and vanilla extract over medium-high speed.
Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
In a medium-size separate bowl use a whisk to sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
Lower the speed of the mixer and add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk beginning and ending with flour. Whip on low speed then increase to medium speed once all is added, mixing just until combined.
Spread cake batter evenly over the pineapple slices. The batter will be thick.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
Remove from the oven and let cake cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Leave the pan in place for a couple of minutes to allow all of the caramel to drip down the sides of the cake.
Serve at room temperature, warm or chilled with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Flour - You can use all purpose flour in place of cake flour. Cake flour has less gluten (protein) in it than regular all purpose flour. This makes the "crumb" or texture of the cake more tender. All purpose flour in the same amount will still work but will give the cake a slightly different texture. Cake flour will result in a more tender crumb to the cake.
Pineapple - You can use canned pineapple slices in place of fresh. Drain well and proceed with the recipe as written.
Caramel Sauce - Please note, fresh pineapple slices release juice while baking that combines with the brown sugar to form a sweet caramel-like sauce. Being a toffee and caramel lover, I've always loved the gooey, chewy, drippy, buttery caramel sauce that forms on the top and drips down the sides of this cake.
Cut Pineapple to Fit - As you can see in the pictures, the pineapple slices may overlap a bit. If you prefer they not overlap, then simply cut a small wedge out of each slice and reshape them so they'll fit onto the cake flat. The pineapple does shrink slightly while baking.
Serve Warm or Chilled - You've got to try this cake while gooey and warm with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. That said, it's also delicious chilled, either way you can't go wrong.