Vegan pineapple upside down cake is here! And I am thrilled about it.
It’s a gorgeous cake that can be made any time of year since you use canned pineapple, and it has a wonderfully rich flavor that almost tastes a bit like a little something something (ahem, I mean something boozy) has been added. But there isn’t any booze. Just delicious pineapple flavor.
Pineapple juice is added to the cake batter and you have brown sugar caramelizing on the top with those pineapple slices and cherries and the result is really spectacular.
How to make a vegan pineapple upside down cake
This cake is so easy! You don’t even need a mixer as there is no frosting.
You start off by melting some vegan butter and then pour that out onto the bottom of a 9 inch cake pan (sprayed with non-stick spray).
Then you sprinkle on some brown sugar and then layer slices of pineapple along the bottom of the cake pan. I cut some slices in half and then put the half slices up the sides of the cake pan as well.
Place maraschino cherries everywhere you can find a gap.
The cake itself is a simple single layer vanilla cake. I adapted the recipe from our vegan vanilla cake.
That gets poured over the top of the pineapple slices and smoothed out and then you bake the cake for around 55 minutes.
Top tips for making a vegan pineapple upside down cake
Use canned pineapple slices. Not only is this easier, but you will get more consistent results. If you use fresh pineapple slices, they will tend to release more moisture during the baking process which can affect your outcome.
Also, when you use canned pineapple you can also just use the juice from the can in the cake batter, whereas if you use fresh pineapple you will need to buy pineapple juice separately.
Don’t use parchment paper to line the bottom of your cake pan, just spray the cake pan with non-stick spray. Parchment paper will interfere with your pineapple topping and trap some of the caramelized brown sugar. I tried it that way in one of my recipe tests and I don’t recommend it.
Cover the cake with foil after it has been baking for 30 minutes to prevent over-browning.
My 9 inch cake pans are quite deep so I only had to loosely cover the top with foil and didn’t need to ‘tent’ it with foil. If your cake pans are more shallow, then tent with foil so that the foil doesn’t touch the top of the cake and interfere with the baking.
Tenting just means to create a sort of tent shape over the top, instead of having the foil flat across the top of the cake pan.
Let it cool for around 10 minutes after it has come out of the oven and then do the flip.
Doing the flip!
The flip can be the trickiest part of the entire cake making process!
Basically you want to put a plate or cake stand on top of the cake pan and then flip it so that you have your cake pan upside down on top of the plate or cake stand.
Leave it for a few seconds as you want all that brown sugar to drip down over your cake, and then remove the cake pan and there’s your pineapple upside down cake!
The part I found tricky is that in doing the flip, sometimes you fail to hold the two things (cake pan and plate or cake stand) in the same position while flipping. On one of my test versions I ended up with a cake that was not at all in the center of the plate but rather all the way over on one side of the plate!
And let me tell you, once you’ve done the flip that cake is NOT moving. Where it lands is where it’s gonna stay.
Hahaha, this cake does not co-operate when you try to move it. So take a breath, visualize the perfect flip in your mind and then go for it.
Can I make this vegan pineapple upside down cake gluten-free?
If you want to make this cake gluten-free you can use our recipe for gluten-free vegan vanilla cupcakes for the 9 inch single cake layer.
The only adjustment you would make to that recipe is to use 3/4 cups (180ml) of non-dairy milk instead of 1 cup and add in 1/4 cup (60ml) of pineapple juice.
This is why you’ll love this vegan pineapple upside down cake:
- It’s rich
- Moist
- Fruity
- Gorgeous
- Full of flavor!
This cake is at it’s best when totally fresh and still warm from the oven! Serve it as is or with some vegan vanilla ice cream!
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge. You can cut a slice and warm it gently in the microwave if you prefer it warm, or just serve it cold. Consume within 3 days.
Want more delicious vegan cake recipes?
We have got you covered! Here’s some of our favorites:
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Coffee Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Pound Cake
- Vegan Pumpkin Cake
Let us know what you think of this vegan pineapple upside down cake in the comments and please rate the recipe as well!
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Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Gorgeously fruity vegan pineapple upside down cake. This single layer 9″ cake is moist and rich and topped with pineapple, cherries and caramelized brown sugar.
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup (56g) Vegan Butter (Melted)
- 1/2 cup (100g) Brown Sugar
- 10–12 Pineapple Slices (Canned)
- 15–20 Maraschino Cherries
For the Cake:
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (200g) White Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) Soy Milk*
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Pineapple Juice (reserved from the can or use fresh)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
- 1 Tbsp White Vinegar*
Instructions
- Spray a 9-inch cake pan with non-stick spray.
- Melt the vegan butter and then pour it out into the bottom of the cake pan and spread it around so it lines the bottom evenly.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter and spread it around evenly.
- Then layer the pineapple slices along the bottom. Cut some slices in half and use those to go up along the sides (see our photo).
- Place maraschino cherries everywhere you find a gap.
- Set the prepared cake pan aside while you prepare your cake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the white sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
- Then add in the soy milk, pineapple juice, vanilla, oil and vinegar and whisk together with a hand whisk until just combined.
- Pour out over the pineapple slices and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Place into the oven and bake for 55 minutes. Bring it out at the 30 minute mark and cover loosely with foil and return to the oven for another 25 minutes. The foil will prevent it from over-browning.
- It’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (don’t push it too far down or you’ll hit the base and then the toothpick won’t come out clean even if it is ready).
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a plate or cake stand.
- To flip it, place a plate or cake stand against the cake pan and then flip it so that the cake pan is upside down on top of the plate or cake stand. Let it sit for a few seconds for the caramelized brown sugar to run down over the sides of the cake, and then lift the cake pan off.
- Slice and enjoy.
Notes
*Almond milk can be used instead of soy milk.
*You can use a different vegetable oil like canola if you prefer.
*Apple cider vinegar can be used instead of white vinegar.
- Category: Dessert, Baking
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (of 8)
- Calories: 441
- Sugar: 52.7g
- Sodium: 358mg
- Fat: 13.7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 75.9g
- Fiber: 1.9g
- Protein: 4.3g
Keywords: vegan pineapple upside down cake
I made this for my daughter’s 18th birthday on 2 April. It looked beautiful and tasted delicious!! Thanks so much for yet another fantastic recipe – they never disappoint!
★★★★★
So happy to hear it was a success! Thanks so much for the wonderful review!
I just made this and it came out perfectly. I used whole wheat flour and it was still very light and moist. Excellent recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks Barbara!
Changed the cherries for frozen raspberries, but apart from that followed the complete recipe. It turned out so well!! Really nice caramelised top, with sponge that was fluffy and flavourful. I will definitely make this again, thank you!
★★★★★
Awesome! So happy to hear that Emily!
Hi Alison. Do you think I could use melted coconut oil instead of vegan marg for the topping?
Thanks, Mohini
Hi there, yes I think so!
I decided to make a pineapple upside down cake. My first one. I figured, I’m gonna start baking things while being at home. Let me just say how goooood this cake is. The only thing is, I followed all the steps, including the butter and brown sugar at the beginning but the pineapples got stuck to the tin. But it was good nevertheless. I will keep practicing until I succeed.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it but sorry to hear it stuck! I use a lot of non-stick spray. 🙂
So delicious, made 2 – 8″ round cakes using this recipe and my husband and I devoured it in two days 🙈
★★★★★
So happy to hear that Janice! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I made this type of cake for the first time today and it was delicious! I surprised myself! I used fresh raspberries and pineapple and the juice I made from scratch. I made two batches at once. It was moist, sweet but not too sweet and almost had a pudding consistency even though it was fully cooked. Gracias! With recipes like this we will get more people on the vegan/plant-based wagon.
★★★★★
Thank you so much Rosie! xo
What a delicious recipe! My daughter wanted to try it as cupcakes and it worked out just great. We baked for 12 mins, then checked, 5 more mins, then checked again, covered with foil and baked for 5 more mins. They came out perfect- made 12 cupcakes and 1 mini cake. So yummy. My daughter and I love your recipes!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing Catherine!
Just made the cake and it tasted great. I reduced the cooking time by 7 minutes, removed the oil, vinegar and added a little more pineapple juice.
★★★★★
So glad it worked out great! Thanks so much for sharing Magda. 🙂
Quick question, if you make this the night before do you need to do the flip after 10 minutes as instructed or can you wait to do that the day of?
I have a potluck at work tomorrow and would like to use the cooking container to bring the cake in and then flip to final presentation once there. But I don’t know if you think that’ll stick– maybe if I put it in the toaster oven for a few minutes first?
Hi Kira, it could be tricky because it really might stick. You could line the bottom with parchment paper but even then some of the sticky sauce could get beneath the parchment and the whole thing could get stuck. You could heat it for a few minutes first, but I’m thinking it could be a little tricky even then.
This was amazing!!
★★★★★
Thanks Sandra! 🙂
This was a winner! It came out beautiful and was pretty easy to make. Flipping was definitely the hardest part. The inside has a great spongy texture like the pictures. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
So glad it was a success! Thanks for the great review! 🙂
Is it possible to keep this recipe the exact same, but do small individual cakes in a muffin tin instead? And just adjust the bake time?
Hi Rachel, if you read the other comments, it has been done! I’m not sure of how much shorter the baking time would be, just that it would be a bit shorter. Just keep an eye out! All the best! 🙂
My grandmother has always made my mother a pineapple upside-down cake for her birthday; this year I took over making one. My vegan baking doesn’t exactly have a reputation for going over well in this house, but the cake came out absolutely perfect. The batter was rich and moist, and everything stayed perfectly intact. I used a smaller pan for the cake, then used the leftover batter to make upside-down cupcakes with the same method as the cake, just baked for a shorter amount of time. My mother and everyone else loved it; and if I can make this cake, anyone can.
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks so much Shelby! 🙂
My good friend made this recipe for my birthday party last night and every bit of it was devoured. So delicious!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I’m going to have to make one now too! 😂
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks Rachelle! 🙂
I am making it vegan and a second one gf for my husbands bd tomorrow. I am also surprised to see a comment from a Rachelle on January 12, I have a Rachelle and her bd was 2 weeks ago!
Just made this tonight and its absolutely delicious. Better than any of the ones i made before going vegan. Been loving making your recipes recently! X
★★★★★
Thanks Martha! 🙂
Hi, I’m curious about the white sugar? Why white and not some other kind? White sugars are usually not vegan.
Also, I’d like to use this as the base for my Christmas Rum Cake. I’m thinking I could replace the pineapple juice with rum. *hiccup 🙂
Hi Kit, it’s only in the USA that ‘some’ companies still use an outdated processing system with bone char. Most sugars in the UK and elsewhere are already vegan. Even in the USA it’s easy to find white sugar that isn’t processed in this way. I haven’t tried this with rum! Let us know how it goes if you do try it. 🙂
Luxardo…sorry, I missed the link! Thanks much for the tip!
No problem! Hope it all works out great! 🙂
I can’t seem to find vegan maraschino cherries. Do you think fresh cherries would work?
Hi Laurie, I think it could be done with fresh cherries. Otherwise you could even leave them out altogether. Otherwise not sure where you’re based, but the Luxardo brand of maraschino cherries (available from Amazon and linked in our ingredients list) is vegan. 🙂