Weather plays a major role with my meal planning in the household. But sometimes, I like to beat the weather with some fun flavors to lift up the mood in the house. This week I was craving some sunshine and warmth so I decided to bring a bit of tropical flavors into the house. Coming from a tropical island myself, fresh Pineapples are always in my grocery list which made today’s recipe an easy mission.

I use Pineapple in many forms in my cooking: starting from a fresh salad; to a spicy curry; then to a variety of desserts. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake has to be my most favorite and a star out of all of them.

Do not let the look of a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake intimidate you by any means. This cake has to be one of the most fool-proof cakes that I have ever made. It sure will be yours too.

As the name calls, the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is a very attractive, elegant cake. The beautiful caramelized pineapple layer with bright maraschino cherries on the top is a perfect addition to any dessert table.

The best part, you do not have to fret about decorating it.

There are few basic things we need to get covered for this bake to go for a smooth sail. The most important step is to grease the pan thoroughly. This step will help you easily invert the cake out to show its beautiful pineapple layer on top.

The next step is to let the cake cool down slightly before flipping it upside down onto the serving plate or cooling rack. You can run a spatula or knife around the cake before flipping it out, but never tap the pan to release the cake. Be patient and let the gravity do its job.

I have used fresh pineapple rings for this cake, but traditionally this cake uses canned pineapple. You can use either one and it will still be flavorful. When you are using fresh pineapple, make sure to remove the core. You can do so by simply slicing the pineapple rings, then running the knife in the middle to cut out the core portion.

Do give this a cake a try. Feel free to give your feedback in the comment section below. Check out my Instagram page for food inspiration.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Serves 6-8 | Prep-time 20 mins | Cook-time 35-45 mins

Cake Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 cups of Unbleached Flour.
• 1/2 cup of Vegan Butter.
• 1 cup of Sugar.
• 2 Eggs.
• 1/2 cup of Almond Milk.
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract.
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder.
• 1/4 tsp of Salt.

Topping Ingredients :

• 5 Fresh Pineapple Rings.
• 10-12 Maraschino Cherries.
• 1/4 cup of Vegan Butter.
• 3/4 cup of Brown Sugar.

Directions :

• Preheat the oven to 350 F° or 170 C°.
• Grease a 9 inch baking pan with Cooking Spray or Vegan Butter.
• Take a small saucepan and mix in the topping ingredients; Brown Sugar, Vegan Butter.
• Heat until the mixtures starts to bubble up; then turn the heat off.
• Pour the sugar mixture into the greased baking pan and ensure it’s covering the entire bottom of the pan.
• Arrange the Pineapple Rings inside the pan and place Maraschino Cherries as per your liking.
• Sift the Flour, Baking powder, Salt together and keep aside.
• Take a large bowl and beat the Vegan Butter well until it is soft and fluffy.
• Add the Sugar, Eggs and beat them until they are well combined and creamy.
• Mix in the Vanilla extract and combine well.
• Now mix in the sifted flour mixture alternating with milk until everything is well combined.
• Take a spoon and scoop the cake batter into the pan carefully making sure the arranged pineapples are not moved around.
• Bake for cake 35-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Notes :

• Canned Pineapple rings can be used instead of fresh Pineapple rings. You might need to add more rings to cover the pan’s bottom.
• I have used Vegan Butter in this recipe. But regular Butter can be substituted.
• I used Unbleached flour in this recipe as a personal choice, but All Purpose, Regular flour will work fine.
• Maraschino Cherries can be omitted altogether or replaced with extra Pineapples or Nuts.