When I bake, I always feel excited and lively, no matter if I’m baking something for the 100th time or trying out a new recipe!

One such recipe which I love to bake is the upside-down pineapple cake.

When I first saw this cake as a child, I was amused by the fact that the cake was upside–down and so delicious!

With this recipe, I want you all to feel the same excitement while making it and the joy of tossing the cake upside down to reveal the beautiful pineapple pattern.

The cake has a layer of caramelized pineapples at the bottom (later that becomes the top when demoulded) and then the sponge. 

The juiciness from brown sugar caramelized pineapples seeps through the cake, making it incredibly moist and soft.

Pineapple is a classic fruit used in cake, whether a cream or dry cake. So naturally, it is loved by almost all of us!

Canned vs. fresh pineapple – which one to use?

Although I would recommend using fresh pineapple slices for authentic flavor, they are only available in certain specific months. One can always use canned pineapple slices instead of fresh ones or vice versa. So, to make the cake in all seasons, you should use canned slices. Canned pineapple slices are dipped in sweet sugar syrup, which makes them juicy. Also, they have a better shelf life. Whereas the fresh ones don’t always turn up to be sweet, and it’s a task to peel them. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe? 

• The Technique: the way it is explained to make the cake is relatively easy to understand. One might fear trying something this technical, but trust me; it’s very simple to make. You’ll get to learn a new technique to bake cakes. 

• Flavor: The cake is atrociously delectable. The crunchiness from the pineapples, the caramel syrup, and the moist vanilla cake make for the most delicious travel cake! 

• Perfect Everyday Cake: this is one such cake that you can bake and eat any day, any time. It’s an ideal partner for your sweet cravings.

• Its Eggless: Don’t we all look for a perfect eggless recipe? This is just the one for you. No need to substitute any ingredient in an egg based recipe now that you have a specifically designed eggless recipe.

Important Ingredients Used In The Recipe

Talking about the ingredients used in the recipe, let’s check out a few of the important ones. 

• Brown sugar: getting that delicious caramel flavor for the pineapple layer, brown sugar is used and recommended as well. Since it has molasses, it provides a deeper caramelized flavor than castor sugar.

• Unsalted butter” for the caramel as well as for the cake batter, I have used unsalted butter. This allows me to adjust salt quantity as per my preference. You can use salted butter if you want to; skip the salt mentioned in the recipe. 

• Milk and curd: full-fat milk and curd are always best to use for baking as they provide excellent texture and richness in flavor. Also, the tenderness comes from these two. 

• Baking powder and baking soda: both rising agents are required as the cake would be dense because of the pineapple topping. They give the necessary rise and softness to the cake. 

How To Make Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

• Preparation: Collect all ingredients and equipment required to make the pineapple topping and the cake batter. Preheat the oven to 180C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan). Grease a 6-inch round tin with oil. 

Method For Pineapple Topping

• Heat Butter and Sugar: To start with the pineapple topping, put the unsalted butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Cook the mixture until it caramelizes. The mixture will be slightly grainy. 

• Put Pineapple Slices in Tin: Take a whole round slice of pineapple and place it in the middle of the tin. Now place half-cut slices around the middle slice and on the sides of the tin. Place a cherry in between each pineapple slice hole. Now pour the caramel you prepared all over the pineapple slices. 

Method For Cake Batter

• Make Buttermilk: Mix milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl to make buttermilk. Keep it aside. 

• Creaming: In a different bowl, cream butter and sugar. The mixture should be light and fluffy. 

• Add Curd And Vanilla Essence: Now, add the curd and vanilla essence to the creamed butter-sugar mixture. Combine them well. 

• Dry Ingredients: Sift all dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir this mixture a little. 

• Make Batter: Now add dry ingredients and buttermilk gradually to the creamed mixture. Ensure that there are no flour lumps left in the batter. 

• Bake: Pour the batter over the pineapple slices placed in the tin. Bake the cake at 180C(OTG mode: lower rod only) for 20-25 minutes. 

• Cooling: Once the cake is done, let it cool down. After the cake has come to room temperature, demould the cake to reveal the beautiful pineapple upside-down pattern. 

Chef’s Tips For The Recipe

Do not Over bake 

There are many negatives when it comes to overbaking. The cake becomes hard, it can have burnt edges, and the pineapple slices can also burn in this recipe. So avoid over-baking the cake. 

Variations 

The method remains the same when you want to bake an upside-down cake using other fruit. So you can make your own version. A few examples would be figs, apricots, and dry fruits.

 

How To Store Upside-down Pineapple Cake

The baked cake should be stored in an airtight box in the refrigerator. It should last for 3-4 days.

 

More Easy Recipes

If you live making travel cakes, then you must try my other recipes-Starbucks Lemon Cake and Eggless Apple Cinnamon Cake.

Frequently Asked Questions 

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