Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake
This recipe for homemade Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake is moist, fruity and absolutely tasty and so easy to slice and serve!
A FUN AND FRUITY SUMMERTIME CAKE!
I love upside down cakes. There is just something about that caramelized brown sugar and fruity topping that takes a boring cake into something special. I decided to take the traditional pineapple upside down cake recipe and turn it into a bundt cake version! Even though this recipe is homemade, it is still super easy to put together and it makes the perfect cake to serve to friends and family. If you’re looking for that perfect summertime cake recipe, then you have to try my Pineapple Upside Down Cake!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
A standard bundt pan will hold 12 cups. You will need a standard pan for this recipe. Make sure your bundt pan says “standard” on it or that it says “12 cup bundt pan.”
Yes you can, but you will need (2) 9″ round cake pans for this and the bake time will be reduce to around 45 minutes. You’ll have to add additional pineapple rings and cherries to each pan. This won’t work for a 9″x 13″ baking dish.
I highly suggest that you rub the pan with shortening and then flour it. This is the traditional go-to method. You can also use a cooking spray that has flour in it (like Baker’s Joy.) Spray the bundt pan very well. I use Baker’s Joy for all of my baked goods. Spray liberally.
This cake can be kept at room temperature (covered with plastic wrap) for up to 2 days. It can also be frozen. To do this: place the cake on a baking pan and put into the freezer for 1-2 hours until frozen. Remove from freezer and wrap the cake with plastic wrap and then foil. Place back into the freezer and it should keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove from freezer to countertop until it comes to room temperature.
Yes. A vanilla or pineapple cake mix can be used here instead of making the cake from scratch.
Yes you can BUT it won’t be as “light” as this recipe. It will be a much more dense cake so just keep that in mind that you will not get the same exact results. Cake flour is very easy to find in nearly all grocery stores near where the other flour is sold. Typically it is sold in a box. The most common brand is called “Swan’s Down.”
Cake flour has less gluten so it produces a more “airy” cake. The more gluten there is in flour, the more dense the end result will be. It will still certainly taste good but the texture will be different. Cake flour can be used in more than just cakes as well. I’ve recently experimented it with biscuits too and they turn out very fluffy!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- butter
- brown sugar
- pineapple rings
- maraschino cherries
- cake flour
- baking powder
- salt
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- evaporated milk
- pineapple juice
HOW TO MAKE A PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN BUNDT CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350°F Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter with the brown sugar and 2 Tablespoons of pineapple juice.
Pour into a greased 10” bundt pan.
Arrange pineapple slices and cherries in the bottom of the pan (in the sugar/butter mix).
Take the remaining pineapple slices and roughly chop. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer mix the 12 tablespoons of butter with the white sugar with the paddle attachment.
Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix.
Add half of the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
Pour in the evaporated milk, pineapple juice (all that remains in the can) and add the remaining flour and mix until incorporated.
Carefully fold into the batter the chopped pineapple pieces.
Using a measuring cup carefully pour batter into the bundt pan around the pineapples and cherries being careful not to displace them.
Once you have a good layer covering those toppings, pour in the rest. Spread the batter around so that it’s even.
Bake in the oven for 50-55 Minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Carefully remove from the bundt pan. You don’t want to leave it too long or the brown sugar/pineapple topping at the bottom of the pan will begin to harden and stick to the pan.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 14 Tablespoons butter (softened to room temperature), divided use
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 20 ounce can pineapple rings (save juice)
- 1 small jar maraschino cherries
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup pineapple juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter with the brown sugar and 2 Tablespoons of the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings.
- Pour into a greased 10” bundt pan.
- Arrange pineapple slices and cherries in the bottom of the pan (in the sugar/butter mix).
- Take the remaining pineapple slices and roughly chop. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, mix the remaining 12 Tablespoons of butter with the white sugar using the paddle attachment.
- Add the eggs and the vanilla then mix.
- Add half of the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
- Pour in the evaporated milk, pineapple juice (all that remains in the can) and add the remaining flour and mix until incorporated.
- Carefully fold the chopped pineapple pieces into the cake batter.
- Using a measuring cup, carefully pour the batter into the bundt pan around the pineapples and cherries being careful not to displace them.
- Once you have a good layer covering those toppings, pour in the rest. Spread the batter around so that it’s even.
- Bake in the oven for 50-55 Minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove from the bundt pan. You don’t want to leave it too long or the brown sugar/pineapple topping at the bottom of the pan will begin to harden and stick to the pan.
Notes
- Make sure you use a standard 12-cup bundt pan for this recipe.
- This cake can be kept at room temperature (covered with plastic wrap) for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen. To do this: place the cake on a baking pan and put into the freezer for 1-2 hours until frozen. Remove from freezer and wrap the cake with plastic wrap and then foil. Place back into the freezer and it should keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove from freezer to countertop until it comes to room temperature.
- Grease the bundt pan VERY well. See my notes above.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This recipe is so simple to follow. The cake came out
beautiful. I am doing this recipe in a couple of days for a community party. They are going to think I’m a pro. haha
Ha – I love it! Thanks so much Ella!!
I have followed this to the tee and it’s beautiful . I feel like maybe I should have cooked longer?
I’ve cooked a lot of your recipes and haven’t found a bad one yet! thank you. if I could post a picture I would
Awww thanks so much Kim – I’m so happy to hear that! The only way to really know if something is done is to stick a toothpick or something similar and it should come out clean. There are so many types of ovens these days so I do my best to give an estimate but obviously it can depend on a lot of factors (metal or ceramic bundt pan, what rack it was cooked on, if its a gas or an electric oven, etc.) But a toothpick never stears you wrong with doneness LOL
Would you use the same amount of regular flour as cake flour?
Hi Charlotte, to substitute cake flour, you’ll want to use the following ratios: Use 2 tablespoons less all-purpose flour per cup of cake flour. Then you will add 2 tablespoons of corn starch per cup. This will mimic cake flour. I would also suggest that you sift your flour as well to produce a light and airy cake.
Thank you…I will post a picture after I have finished making it!
Wonderful cake! Came out so beautiful and so easy! Can’t wait to eat it. I’ve had a few sneak bites and so far amazing!
Your comments were helpful as I was able to use two 9″ pans. I find the bundt cake is too much cake in ratio to the topping so making the two cakes worked out perfectly. I received really positive reviews at church. Some whipped cream was a perfect extra touch!
This cake has both good flavor and texture. It’s kid friendly in the building and construction of it. My only concern is that mine was probably actually done at 45 minutes, which is unusual for my oven. With that being said, the only solution I find for this is to simply let it set with the Bundt pan covering it on the cake plate until cool so the moisture remains instead of evaporating.
I truly did enjoy this cake.
What if you don’t have a paddle attachment? Can you still make this cake? Thank you
I made this exactly as written. It is not as sweet as most cakes (which I like) and has a dense consistency, more like a home made pound cake from scratch. Everyone enjoyed the cake, even the kids! I will definitely make this again! Thanks for a keeper recipe.:-))
Brandie,
Stupid question, but should the butter that is used in the cake mixture be softened or left cold?
Please humor this old lady with an answer. LOLLOLLOL!
Claudine in Fort Worth, TX
Not a stupid question Claudine! I should’ve clarified it better in the post. Room temperature butter is what you want here. 🙂
Thank you Brandie for your response to my question about the butter. I kinda thought that might be how it is used in the cake batter. I’m gonna make this for our 4th of July get together and I just know it’s gonna be a winner!
I hope you and your family have a Happy 4th of July!
Claudine in Fort Worth, TX
Same to you! Always lovely to hear from you!
Can a boxed cake mix be used for this
Yes you sure could. If you really want to amp up the pineapple flavor you could use a pineapple cake mix.
I don’t have cake flour on hand. Can i use regular flour for this recipe?
You can but it will be a much more dense cake. Cake flour is lighter because it has less gluten. So just know that you won’t be getting the same texture as I did here but it will still taste good. 🙂