What a beautiful, summery fresh dessert this pineapple upside down cake is. It’s on the lighter side than most upside down cakes, still buttery and soft with a caramelized brown sugar and pineapple topping (omitting the cherries, sorry cherries not today!). All ingredients are layered in one cake pan. No need to make a separate caramel topping like most upside down cakes, making this a perfect lazy summer day of baking and eating.
And what a lazy summer it has been! This heat… the humidity here in Ontario has been too much to handle; it’s got me dragging my feet! I’m craving fresh, light and easy sweets for backyard bbq’s and easy picnics with friends and family. I’ve been using fresh fruits in most of my baking lately; from scones, to pastries and cakes. And I couldn’t think of a better way to use up fresh pineapple than in a simple upside down cake!
What I love most about this cake is the zesty lime flavour, a flavour we don’t see enough in baking if you ask me! I love everything lemon in desserts and it’s common to see lemon in many recipes, but more unusual to see lime. For me, this is what makes the cake. It feels tropical, fun and easy! This is something different from my typical baking style and I’m excited to make this pineapple upside down cake again and again!
Suggested Topping to Pair With
- Whip Cream with Lime Zest
- Vanilla Ice Cream with slices of pineapple
- Extra Caramel Sauce (for the sweet tooth lover)
- Crème fraîche
My favourite pairing is adding a dollop of whipped cream that has been whipped with extra lime zest. You won’t regret this added addition, trust me!
Everything about this cake makes me want to dip in a pool, drink from a coconut and watch the palm trees sway in the wind! Hope you love this cake, let me know in the comments.
Happy Summer Baking 🙂
Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Here is a light, buttery and soft pineapple upside down cake made simple. This cake is zesty with hints of lime and has a gooey caramel topping made right in the pan, making this upside down cake easy peasy!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 9 inch cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Topping
- 5 Tablespoons (70 g) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Approx. 8 ounces (225 g) fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
Cake
- 3/4 cup (156 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1/2 cup (110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ËšF.
- Using a spatula spread 5 tablespoons of butter over the bottom of a 9 inch cake pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter, then the cinnamon.
- Arrange pineapple wedges in one even layer on top of the butter and sugar. Cut small pieces of pineapple to fill in any gaps. Set aside.
- Make your cake batter. In a large bowl, add sugar and lime zest together. Beat for 1 minute to release lime juices into the sugar. Add 1/2 cup butter and cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add approx. one-third of the flour mixture to your butter mixture and mix until only a few streaks of flour remain. Add the remaining flour and mix.
- In a small bowl beat egg whites and sour cream together. Add to batter and mix just until incorporated. Note: the batter is on the thicker side (see images for reference).
- Spoon batter on top of the pineapples and spread into an even layer.
- Bake in the lower third of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan for 5-10 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges and invert the cake onto a plate to cool. Some pineapple slices may stick to the pan, not to worry just use a spatula to transfer them back on top of the cake.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipping cream (see blog post for options).
Notes
Refrigerate leftover cake up to 3 days.
Best to use a springform pan to easily remove cake.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving of 10
- Calories: 286
- Sugar: 24.5g
- Sodium: 147mg
- Fat: 12.8g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 40.7g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3.8g
- Cholesterol: 67mg
You may also like:
Leave a Rating and Comment!
I love hearing from you! Leave a comment with any questions or how your recipe turned out (your email address will not be published)!
This dessert was perfect to end our backyard summer bq.! The cake looked yummy too! It was light and not too sweet. And we loved the combination of lime, fruit and whipping cream on top!!!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the cake Susie! I couldn’t agree more, the lime whipping cream adds the finishing touch!
Thank you for sharing this delightfully easy, mouthwateringly delicious recipe. Have baked this cake several times since I first tried it a few weeks back and it’s been a huge success each time!
Hi Ronak, Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying this cake!! It’s one of my favourites too!