This delicious vegan pineapple upside down cake is moist, rich and topped with pineapple, cherries and caramelized brown sugar.
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 ¾ cups (180ml) of non-dairy milk instead of 1 cup and add in ¼ 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 Victoria Sponge
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
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- ¼ cup Vegan Butter (56g) Melted
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (100g)
- 10-12 Slices Pineapple Canned
- 15-20 Maraschino Cherries
For the Cake:
- 1 and ¾ cups All Purpose Flour (220g)
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Soy Milk (180ml) or other non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup Pineapple Juice (60ml) reserved from the can or use fresh
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil (80ml) or other vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Spray a 9-inch round 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.
A great recipe, it bakes perfectly. I love putting on as many cherries as possible, I can get 19 placed around the pineapple circles. This became an instant family favorite and is always requested. Bravo!!
Wonderful to hear that Hilma! Thanks so much for posting!
I made this and followed the recipe exactly. The flavor was great but the actual cake part is a bit chewy/doughy. Not sure what went wrong. Unless it’s the type of flour I used?
Hi Kayla, did you substitute the flour? If you used all purpose flour then this can happen if you over-mix the batter.
We love this recipe! Its so quick and easy and is my go to baked gift. Currently waiting for one to come out of the oven, but today I used fresh local Montana huckleberries instead of pineapple. It smells great! 🥰 thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Sounds wonderful! So happy you love the recipe! 🙂
Delicious, loving it, thank you for the recipe.
Thanks so much Mike!
This is my boyfriend’s favorite kind of cake. I made it for his birthday today. He loved it! It was awesomely good. Thank you for this recipe. He said he could eat the whole thing himself! Lol
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Ruth!
Tried it today, came out very tasty. But it was very delicate. It cracked per pineapple piece to be precise. I gave sufficient time to cool down before removing from the pan. I had only springform pan, and it leaked quite a lot while baking. Do you think more liquid was the issue? I followed exact measurements given.
Hi Veena, honestly I’m not sure. Do you tend to weigh the flour (or use the spoon and level method?) because cracking can also be a result of too much flour.
My son has been asking and asking for a pineapple upside down cake but can’t have dairy. He LOVED this cake! Thank you! The only thing is that when I flipped it, the cake broke along the lines of the pineapple slices (into perfect pieces LOL). Do I need to let it cool more? I left it for 10 min.
Hi Christine, so glad it worked out well, and if it broke into perfect pieces, well that’s very considerate of the cake, hahaha! It might have needed a couple more minutes of cooling time, but it can also be if the flip doesn’t happen fast enough, so some of the cake pulls out before the rest, then it breaks. So try to be very fast and confident with the flip. 🙂
This looks amazing! Could oat milk be used instead of soy?
Yes definitely! 🙂
Omg! This is so freaking good! I love reading all the comments about everyone sharing this cake with their loved ones. Im not sharing mine with ANYONE. In fact it is about 40% gone after the first hour of being out of the oven. I threw some whipped cream on mine. Granted I probably just ate like 5,000 calories. But they’re vegan calories. So it’s okay. WONDERFUL AND EASY RECIPE!!!
Hahaha, I love this comment! Thanks so much for the amazing review!
I love this recipe! It’s not too sweet and with just enough fluff. I will be making another one this weekend.
Can I make it in a large muffin pan? if so, what adjustments should I do?
Thanks!
Hi Janette, I think you could make it in a muffin tray, the baking time would just be a bit shorter, I’m not entirely sure how much though, just keep an eye.
This recipe strikes again!!! My sister came over for the time since You Know What-19 started and we all got vaccinated. I’ve missed her so much that I decided to make this cake for her as a memory to our Gramma who would make this once in a while as a special treat. Seeing my sister again was for sure such an occasion.
My sister is decidedly not vegan but had she not known her vegan sister made it, she would have never known!
The cake was a wonderful homage and a wonderful I missed you gift.
(That’s four successes with this recipe for anyone counting, in a month or less!)
That’s wonderful Heather! Thanks so much for sharing!
Everyone loved it!! Vegans and non vegans alike raved on this cake. ???? Fun and easy to make, looking forward to playing with different flavor ratios on my next go!
Awesome! Thanks for the wonderful review!
The first time I made this cake we shared half with my daughter and her fiancé. It was so loved that she requested that I make it for his birthday. When my husband heard that was the plan, he so sweetly puppy dog eyes asked me to make a second one for him while I was at it! We RARELY make a cake, or even buy one. So I would have to say this recipe is a Sure Thing.
That’s wonderful Heather! Thanks so much for sharing!