It is a sweet and delicious treat that combines the sweetness of pineapple, the tartness of brown sugar, and the moistness of the cake. This delicious dessert has become a favourite among many families and is often served during special occasions like birthdays or holidays.
Brief History and Origin
The first known recipes for pineapple upside-down cake appeared in the early 1900s, though its exact origin is unknown. The earliest recipes called for canned pineapple rings, which were popular due to their convenience.
In 1925, the recipe was published in a cookbook by Mrs Rorer titled “Mrs Rorer’s New Cook Book”, which featured a version made with fresh pineapple slices instead of canned ones. This version quickly became popular and is still used today.
Pineapple upside-down cake – The Recipe
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 40 mins
- Total time: 55 mins
- Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the topping
- 50g butter, softened
- 50g light brown sugar
- 7 canned pineapple rings, drained & syrup reserved
- 7 halved maraschino cherries
For the cake
- 100g butter, softened
- 100g white sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 100g cake flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and preheat it to 160 degrees C.
For the topping
- Add brown sugar and butter in a bowl, and beat until fluffy and creamy. Spread evenly over the bottom and up the edges of a 20cm circular cake pan by quarter.
- Place rings of pineapple on the top and adds a cherry in each ring’s centre.
For the cake
- Add vanilla, eggs, baking powder, flour, white sugar, reserved pineapple juice and butter in a bowl, and whisk using an electric mixer until smooth and soft.
- Transfer the batter to the cake pan on top of the pineapples and level the surface using a spatula.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- When ready, remove the oven, rest for 5 minutes, then lose the edges using the knife and invert on the serving plate. Slice and serve.
Popular variations
Here are a few ways you can change this basic recipe to adjust it to your liking:
- Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake: This cheesecake has all the deliciousness of the upside-down pineapple cake and looks like it too. But you will love the creamy cheesecake bottom of the cake.
- Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes is an amazing little version of our favourite pineapple upside-down cake. We love it for snacking, lunches, road trips, tea parties, and the kids.
- Cranberry Pineapple Upside Down Cake: The delicious cranberries bring freshness, tartness and sweetness to the entire cake. It goes well with the pineapple.
- Blueberry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: adding blueberries n the traditional pineapple upside-down cake is delicious. We love the freshness the blueberries bring to the caramelized and toasted pineapples on top.
- Salted Caramel Pineapple Upside Down Cake: The salted caramel topping with a hint of rum brings out a deeply sweet and salty flavour with the tart pineapple in the cake. We love the contrasting flavours of sweetness and saltiness of this cake.
