This vegan pineapple upside down cake is moist, tender, bursting with fruity flavor, and covered with a gooey brown sugar pineapple topping!
Do you love fruity desserts? I certainly do, especially during the warmer months.
Well then, let me introduce you to vegan pineapple upside down cake. It's pretty much the ultimate fruity dessert. This cake is topped with caramelized pineapples and cherries, plus it has pineapple juice in the batter.
It's loaded with sweet, fruity flavors, but it's better than your typical fruity dessert, thanks to the gooey topping.
It's also one of those desserts that you'd never know was made without eggs or dairy. This pineapple upside down cake tasted just like the classic version that I learned to make in middle school cooking class, and my non-vegan family members gobbled it right up!
Let's talk about how this delicious cake is made.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Vegan butter. You should be able to find dairy-free butter this near the regular butter at your supermarket. Look for brands like Earth Balance and Miyoko's.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan. You could also substitute coconut sugar if you'd like.
- Canned pineapple.
- Maraschino cherries.
- Flour. We're using all-purpose flour. I'm not sure if any other varieties will work.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Non-dairy milk. Any variety that's unflavored and unsweetened will work. Try soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk.
- Pineapple juice. Use the juice from your can of pineapple rings.
- Vanilla extract.
- Sugar. Again, make sure this is organic.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Prepare the topping first. Pour melted vegan butter into a 9-inch round cake pan, rolling it around to coat the sides.
- Sprinkle brown sugar into the cake pan, then arrange pineapple slices and cherries in the bottom of the pan.
- Place the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you make your cake batter.
Tip: If you want to be on the safe side, use a cake pan that's at least 2 inches tall. Most recipes require this. I find that if I use a shorter pan the cake will simply rise above the top of the pan, but it won't spill. You could also place a baking sheet under the pan while it bakes, just in case!
- Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir your wet ingredients together in a small container. Milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract.
Tip: Unless a recipe specifies otherwise, always bring your liquid ingredients up to room temperature when baking.
- Use an electric mixer to cream your room temperature vegan butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Begin beating in the flour mixture, using the mixer at low speed.
- Once all of the dry ingredient mixture has been added, begin beating in the milk mixture at low speed. Beat the ingredients until they're fully mixed and a smooth batter is formed.
- Pour the batter into your cake pan, over the topping, then pop the pan into the oven.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once the cake has finished baking, transfer it to a cooling rack. It will need at least 20 minutes to cool before you can carefully flip it onto a serving dish.
Tip: I like to carefully run a knife around the outer edges of my pan to loosen the cake before inverting it. This helps to ensure that the whole cake comes out of the pan when I do!
- Slice the cake and enjoy! Vegan pineapple upside down cake is best served warm. It's also excellent with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan pineapple upside down cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about a day, or in the refrigerator for about 3 days. I like to place a sheet of parchment paper on top to protect the topping, then slide the entire cake (on a dish) into a 2 gallon zipper bag.
This cake can be frozen, but it will get a bit soggy when you thaw it. If you do freeze it, follow my recommendations above for sealing it up. It will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm not sure, but if you'd like to try it I think an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend would be your best bet.
Pineapple upside down cake is generally a short cake. Think about it: it's baked in a single pan that you'd normally use for just one layer of a cake. If your cake seeds excessively short (and dense), you may be using dated baking soda or powder. Test baking powder by sprinkling a bit in a glass of water. Test soda by doing the same, but using vinegar. If either one doesn't fizz, toss and replace it.
You can! Just make sure you slice it thin enough. You'll also need pineapple juice for the batter, which you can buy separately.
Yes! Just make sure to remove the pits.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Spice Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Vegan Coffee Cake
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This vegan pineapple upside down cake is moist, tender, bursting with fruity flavor, and covered with a gooey brown sugar pineapple topping!
Ingredients
For the Topping
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
- ¼ cup organic brown sugar
- 7 canned pineapple rings (a 20 ounce can should give you enough)
- 13 maraschino cherries, stems removed
For the Cake
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup unflavored non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup pineapple juice (reserved from the can)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup vegan butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup organic sugar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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To make the topping, first pour the melted vegan butter into the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan (see Note). Roll the pan gently to coat the sides with the butter.
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Sprinkle the brown sugar in the the pan, then arrange the pineapple slices and cherries in the bottom of the pan, placing a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring and between the pineapple rings around the perimeter of the pan.
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Place the cake pan in the fridge to chill while you make the batter.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla.
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In another large mixing bowl, beat the vegan butter and sugar together at high speed using an electric mixer. Beat the mixture until creamy, about 1 minute.
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Begin beating the flour mixture into the butter mixture, a bit at a time, using the mixer at low speed.
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Once all of the flour mixture has been added, begin slowly adding the milk mixture, again beating everything at low speed until fully mixed.
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Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator and pour the batter over the pineapple topping.
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Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Place the cake on a cooling rack and let it cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes.
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Gently run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan, then invert the cake onto a plate. Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
If you have a cake pan that's at least 2 inches tall, use it. Otherwise, consider placing a baking sheet under the pan while the cake bakes, just in case there are drips (I've never had any though).
This cake looks to die for!! To the point that I need to make it stat!
This is a great recipe, thank you! Easy to make and a hit with everyone. Looks and tastes awesome.
The cake looks great :)
I noticed that your method is a little different than the traditional cake tho. The way my grandfather taught me, was to prepare the caramel and pineapple on the stove top in a frying pan with high sides (he used a cast iron pan, but I've read recipes using non-stick). Once the caramel is golden brown, place the pineapple around the frying pan and let it brown for a bit. Then remove the pan from the heat, carefully pour in the batter and transfer the pan to oven to bake the rest of the cake.
Either way, it looks like you can't go wrong with an upside down cake :D
(P.S. the red food colouring used to turn those maraschino cherries red - they are naturally white - is not vegan/vegetarian. You could use fresh pitted cherries when they are in season though. That keeps the sugar down as well. )
Thanks Denise! Now I want to give your grandfather's method a try - the carmelized sugar and pineapple sounds like it would be delicious. I might even try baking it right in the cast iron skillet, which I was considering for this recipe, but opted not to on the thought that not everyone would have a cast iron skillet available. It does tend to make everything cook up better though. :)
I didn't know that about maraschino cherries, but now really I'm glad I skipped them. I'm just starting to see fresh cherries in my area, so maybe I'll use them next time.
Thats how i do mine. I bought a camping frypan thats handle clicks off so its easy to go from stove top to oven.
Your recipe Is fantastic. Perhaps one element missing is the cast iron skillet. Make it in a cast iron pan like they do in the South. Just popped mIne in the oven! Thanks!!
Thank you! I have yet to try this with cast iron, but I can see how that would be fantastic. Definlitey trying that next time. :)
Enjoy!
Lovely recipe. Tried it this weekend. I will definitely be making this again!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Simone! :)
Thanks Melissa! I just sent the a message, so hopefully they'll be cooperative and take the photos down. I appreciate you letting me know!
Sorry to hear that! As you can see from the photos, it's not super thick, but definitely thicker than an inch. Was it overly dense as well? If it was you might want to check your baking soda and/or powder. You can test baking soda by sprinkling a bit in a glass of vinegar, and test powder by sprinkling in water. You should see bubbles if they're working. That's my best guess - hope it helps!
I just made the cake as well, and mine turned out to be about 1 inch thick as well. I guess next time I will double the cake portion.
I think that would work just fine. :)
I have a starfruit tree (I live in Miami). Starfruit makes a great upside down cake and I wanted to make a vegan version... your cake worked really well!!! I juiced a few star fruits to sub for the pineapple juice and added a couple of tablespoons rum. It was awesome! Thank you for a great recipe... If you ever chance on some starfruit, try it, it looks beautiful. I am also going to try the cast iron variation suggested in some comments.
Oh wow! Awesome idea! I'm totally trying that next time I can get my hands on some starfruit. It must look so impressive. Thanks for the inspiration, and glad you enjoyed it. :)
Sorry for responding so late! I'd stick with coconut milk, and if you find that it's separated a bit, just mix it together as best you can. It even helps to warm it up a bit to get the solids and the coconut water to blend.
Mine just came out of the oven and it is to die for!!!!!!! I used a heart shaped cake pan. It's lovely!! Thank you!! <3
Yay! That sounds perfect for Valentine's day! Glad you like it!
I made this cake yesterday and it came out amazing. Will definitely make it again. I used organic pineapple rings and it had exactly 3/4 cup pineapple juice. I had dried cherries so i used them and they taste amazing. I only had date sugar and that worked fine for the glaze and in the batter. I had just opened a can of lite coconut milk so used it and everything turned out amazing.
Glad i found this recipe.
enjoy.....robin m
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And good to know that date sugar worked out - I've been meaning to incorporate it into more of my recipes. Thanks Robin!
I am making this for a party Friday night. Do you think I could make it tonight (Wednesday night), or would it dry out too much? Thanks!
Ah, it's Friday now and I just saw this! Sorry! Well, for future reference, I think if you keep it covered it will be fine to make a couple of days ahead. :)
I just made this tonight it it was delicious! It was so moist and the edges were crispy and gooey with the topping. I doubled the brown sugar topping , I used crushed pineapple.that i strained and squeezed out a little, and used coconut milk from the carton.
If you double the amount of brown sugar and oil for the topping I recommend using slightly less sugar in the actual cake.
I will definitely make this again, next time with fresh peaches.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And I'll bet it's absolutely delicious with peaches - great idea!
Hmmm...I'm not sure what went wrong. I don't think skipping sifting would cause it to fall apart. Did you substitute a different type of flour, like gluten-free maybe? Or use a pan that was larger than 9 inches?
I think Canola would work!
We love this recipe! My husband requests it for every occasion and we always seem to have the ingredients on hand, which is nice!
I'm so glad you're both enjoying it!! Thanks so much Lauren!
I totally need to make this, I've been craving this cake for too long, it looks delish!
Thanks Abygail! I hope you enjoy it!
A friend made this for our Hawaiian vegan potluck and it was delicious! Nice and moist. Since she said it really was 10 minutes as you wrote, and super easy, I will add it to my recipes. Thanks!
Yay! I'm glad it was a hit! Thanks Shelly!
Sorry that happened! I'm not sure why it did, but one thing you could try if you make it again is lining the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper. Then you can carefully peel it off after inverting the cake.
Hey! Really want to make this, it sounds delicious. But I only have a large and small loaf tin - do you think the recipe could work in one of these? Might give it a go anyway. Thanks!
I think it will work, but you might need to adjust the cook time. I'm thinking it might need a bit longer - I'd start checking it with a toothpick at 35 minutes and every 4-5 minutes after that. Enjoy!
I love this recipe!
Just made a few small changes
Muscovado sugar for the topping
Coconut sugar for the cake
I'm so glad you love it! Thanks so much!!
Just made this, in a gas oven so that was a challenge. It came out really good though! It’s half eaten already after only 10 min out of the oven so it was a hit.
Only thing I’d do differently is put more sugar on the bottom to make the glaze more juicy.
Also, I didn’t have baking soda on hand so I doubled the baking powder and added a squeeze of lemon. It came out so fluffy and light!!
Great recipe :)
Do you think it would work with gluten free flour or
a mix of gluten free & GF oat flour?
I haven't tried either, so I really can't say for sure. If you want to give it a try I'd go with a gluten-free all-purpose blend like the ones made by Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur flour. I've had success using those products in similar cake recipes. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Alissa
This recipe looks Great!!! I am going to try it today.
I would like to make it in a 9x13 inch pan. Would I just double the recipe?
Also I only have 8 or 10 inch round cake pans...Would the 10 inch work?
Thank You ❤️
Have a Great Day!!!!
Hi Vivian! Yes, I would double the recipe if you use a 9x13 pan, but you might also need to adjust the baking time. Usually a larger cake will take just a few minutes longer, so keep an eye on it. A 10 inch round pan should also work, but the bake time might be a bit less and your cake will probably be pretty short (it's pretty short even in a 9-inch pan!). Enjoy your cake and have a great day as well!
Hi Alissa, love the cake! I also really loved the other pineapple cake previously found on your site using coconut oil, coconut milk and no cherries. Is that recipe available anywhere? Thanks!
I am so eager to try this recipe but I don’t see an egg substitute and I just want to be sure I’m not missing something! Thanks!
There's no egg substitute! In some baked goods I find they're not necessary. :)
This cake was delicious! I haven’t had pineapple upside down cake since my college dining hall days and this was something else entirely. So moist and full of flavor. I’m hoping it can make the leftovers last for the week.
So maybe i did something wrong but my batter was super thick. I baked it anyway and it did not cook all the way thru.
I scooped out the raw batter n put the cake, covered wit foil for another thirty mins or more. I jus couldn't waste it.
It came out ok. We were about to eat it and the kids liked it, but what did i do wrong?
I am a pretty good cook n baker soooo any advice?
Can crushed pineapple be used instead of the rings? Thanks.
I wouldn't recommend it. I haven't tried using crushed pineapple, but my guess is that the topping wouldn't hold together when you remove the cake from the pan.
This is easily my favorite cake recipe. I’ve made it twice and it wowed people both times. I found I like it even better on day 2, so will make it in advance next time.