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 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 round 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.
Recipe Tips
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.
Make It 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 round 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.
Storing Tips
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.
It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The best method is to wrap and freeze individual slices.
More Delicious Vegan Cake Recipes
- The Most Amazing Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Coffee Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Victoria Sponge
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
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 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.
Notes
- 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.
- It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The best method is to wrap and freeze individual slices.
This was amazing and so easy to make, thank you Alison! A definite hit for my boyfriend’s birthday. He’s Australian and had never heard of pineapple upside-down cake but absolutely loved it.
Thanks for the awesome review Kristan!
Made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! And very easy to put together, as someone who does not bake frequently. I splurged on Miyoko’s butter for the base layer and it was just divine. For the topping, I whipped some coconut cream and thinned that out with some of the extra juice from the canned pineapple. Truly a perfect match! I would very confidently serve this cake to anybody; in fact, my boyfriend has already requested that I make it for our next special event or family gathering. Make this cake!!!
Thanks so much Maddie, I’m so happy it was a success! 🙂
I made this cake today for my mom’s birthday and it turned out fantastic! Not only did it look absolutely gorgeous but it was wonderfully delicious! I didn’t have any light brown sugar so I used the dark brown and I doubled the batter recipe and made a second cake without the pineapple and cherries but with vanilla frosting instead for the picky ones in my family. Both cakes are already gone! Also the recipe was so easy, my 4 year old had a blast helping me make it! Will most definitely make this again! Thanks for an awesome recipe! *A side note to those who don’t have foil or want to use foil and may panic like I did, I used a glass lid from a cooking pot and it worked perfectly!
Thanks for the awesome review Carrie!
Great recipe! I cut the sugar by 1/2 and followed the rest of the recipe and it turned out great. My toddler and my husband loved it. Very moist, very fluffy. Will be making it again for sure.
Awesome! Thanks so much Anya!
Do you think I can sub the pineapple for tinned peaches in juice and omit the cherries?
Hi Ali, I’m not entirely sure! I think it would be okay but it’s not something I’ve tried.
Delicious recipe, Alison! I followed it exactly but substituted applesauce for the oil in the batter, which worked well. In the pineapple layer, I used the recommended amount of melted vegan butter (Miyoko’s), brown coconut sugar and canned pineapple rings. I didn’t have cherries, so I sliced the remaining pineapple rings into eighths to fill the gaps. The cake baked up perfectly in my nonstick cake pan. I was able to easily flip it onto a serving plate, although it did take a moment to drop completely out of the pan, as you forewarned. Lovely firm yet tender vanilla cake, with golden-brown caramelized pineapple topping and delicious crunchy bits on the crust. I will definitely make this again! Thanks for a keeper recipe! 💖 Franny
Hi Franny! I’m so pleased to hear it was a success! Thanks so much for the great comment and review!
My fourth time making this no-fail, one bowl family fave and I have to laugh at “store in fridge and eat within 3 days”…. This delicious cake never lasts longer than breakfast the next day. Thanks so much for all your amazing recipes.
Hahaha, that’s awesome Sherry! Thanks so much for the great comment and review!
This was AMAZING!! I’ve made a few different pineapple upside down cakes and this recipe is the best. Delish!!
Thanks so much Adriana!
Love this dish.
Thanks so much Andy!
I made this recipe for family and friends. It was so nice moist, sweet and exactly how i remember it as a child. Everybody enjoyed it. I will definetly make it again !!!
Thanks so much Tina!
Hi Alison. If i make this in mini cake tins how long do you recommend I bake it for? TIA
Hi Luc, I can’t be sure, it would depend on the size of the cake tins, another reader made this as 12 cupcakes and one mini cake and the baking time was only 22 minutes. But you would just need to keep a very close eye on it.
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter?
Hi Abbey, yes I think so!
Hi i’m planning to make this cake for my boyfriends birthday in a few days, do you think it would be okay to substitute the vegan butter for vegan margarine that melts?
Thanks
Definitely! 🙂