Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This vegan pineapple upside-down cake is unbelievably moist, sweet, and rich. Watch this delicious cake disappear in the blink of an eye!
This cake is not only a beautiful sight to see, but the taste is unbelievable. The vegan vanilla cake batter is poured over pineapple rings, brown sugar, and cherries, then baked until everything is beautifully caramelized.
Want more cake recipes? Try making my Vegan Lemon Cake and Vegan Coconut Cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Unbleached all-purpose flour – adds more structure to eggless cakes than bleached flour.
- Salt
- Granulated cane sugar
- Plant-based milk – soy and oat milk work best in this recipe. Use unsweetened for the best results.
- Apple cider vinegar – adding a splash of vinegar helps the baking soda and baking powder rise the cake, improving the texture.
- Canola oil – brings a lot of moisture to the cake. It’s best to stick with a neutral-flavored oil and not replace it with strongly flavored ones like olive oil.
- Vanilla – use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Feel free to use imitation vanilla extract if you cannot find the pure extract.
- Vegan butter – use any vegan butter or margarine you like, but make sure it’s softened before using. I recommend buttery sticks or blocks as they have less water than tub margarine.
- Light brown sugar – creates beautiful caramelization on top of the cake.
- Cherries – Maraschino cherries are the best to use in this recipe. They taste beautiful with the pineapple and are a classic choice. Whichever cherries you use, make sure to pit them and remove the seeds.
- Pineapple rings – either canned or fresh pineapple works well. I used cored fresh pineapple from the grocery store and cut it into 9 equal slices. For a whole pineapple – peel, slice then use an apple corer to cut out the tougher center in the slices.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle section of the oven, then preheat it to 350°F / 180°C.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch square baking pan with vegan butter.
- Sprinkle brown sugar on the greased cake pan, then place the pineapple rings side by side. Add a cherry to the middle of each pineapple ring. Set the pan aside.
- In a large bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the granulated sugar.
- In another bowl, combine milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while stirring. Mix until batter is just moistened and there are no floury bits. Make sure not to overmix. Scrape the bottom of the bowl when mixing.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack, pineapple side up.
- Let it cool, then cut and serve!
Storage Suggestion
Pineapple upside-down cake tastes best fresh, but there are plenty of ways to store it for later. Cover the cake in cling film or a cake cover, and place it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve as-is from the fridge, or heat it in the microwave.
To freeze the cake, slice it first, then wrap it and freeze it. It should last for three months. Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight, and enjoy it cold or warm it up in the microwave.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Cranberry Orange Bread
Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Servings: 9
Calories: 396kcal
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This pineapple upside-down cake is unbelievably moist, sweet, and rich. Watch this delicious cake disappear in the blink of an eye!
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- 10-inch or 9-by-13-inch baking pan
Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated cane sugar
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 ml) soy or oat milk
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla
Topping
- 5 tbsp vegan butter or margarine, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 9 pineapple rings, canned or fresh (See Notes)
- 9 cherries, pitted maraschino or fresh
Instructions
- Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat it to 350°F / 180°C.
- Spread the softened vegan butter for the topping on the bottom and sides of a 10-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and arrange the pineapple rings side by side. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring. Set the pan aside.5 tbsp vegan butter or margarine ,½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar ,9 cherries ,9 pineapple rings
- In a large bowl sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the granulated sugar and set it aside.1 ½ teaspoon baking powder ,½ teaspoon baking soda ,¼ teaspoon salt ,1 cup (200 g) granulated cane sugar ,2 cups (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- In a smaller bowl, add the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, oil, and vanilla. Stir to combine.½ cup (120 ml) soy or oat milk ,3 tbsp apple cider vinegar ,¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil ,1 tbsp vanilla
- Gradually add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients stirring in between each addition. Mix until the batter is just moistened and there are no floury bits. Remember to scrape the bottom of the bowl but do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow the pan to rest outside the oven for ten minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack while still warm.
- Cool the cake, cut it into squares, and serve.
Notes
- Canned or fresh pineapple works well for this recipe. I used cored fresh pineapple from the grocery store and cut it into 9 equal slices. For a whole pineapple: peel, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices then use an apple corer to cut out the tougher center in the slices.
- Cover the cake in cling film or a cake cover, and place it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve as-is from the fridge, or heat it in the microwave.
- To freeze the cake, wrap it tightly and freeze for three months. Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight, and enjoy it cold or warm from the microwave.
Tried this recipe? Upload a photo in the comments below!If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a rating. It really helps the blog.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
This made a very tasty cake! I just wanted to point out that flour is mistakenly listed again in step 4. Thanks for the recipe!
Oops! Thank you so much for pointing that out! It’s been fixed.
Half a cup of milk can’t possibly be right. After adding the milk and oil, I had slightly moistened flour, not a batter. I added more milk and hope it turns out. I just looked at another recipe that calls for 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup milk AND 3/4 cup pineapple juice and a cup of applesauce.
Hi Jan, sorry you had trouble with the recipe. I’ve tested this recipe multiple times and 1/2 cup has been ideal. However, different brands of flour can absorb different amounts of liquid so feel free to adjust it to your preference. The batter should be thick and not pourable due to additional moisture that will be added to the cake from the pineapple rings and the vegan butter.
Hi there Jhanelle, looking at the recipe you do not say much about the pineapple rings,
are they raw, cooked, or tinned. Would love to try this recipe as it looks amazing.
Thanks G
Hi Geraldine,
My apologies for missing that note. Either canned or fresh pineapple can be used. If your local grocery store has cored fresh pineapple then this would work perfectly. Just cut it into 9 equal slices. For a whole pineapple: peel, cut into 1/4 inch (6mm) thick slices then use an apple corer to cut out the tougher center in the slices. I hope this helps!