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Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake on a plate.
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4.81 from 21 votes

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!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 438kcal
Author: Alissa Saenz

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
  • 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

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Place the cake pan in the fridge to chill while you make the batter.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla.
  • 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.
  • Begin beating the flour mixture into the butter mixture, a bit at a time, using the mixer at low speed.
  • Once all of the flour mixture has been added, begin slowly adding the milk mixture, again beating everything at low speed until fully mixed.
  • Remove the cake pan from the refrigerator and pour the batter over the pineapple topping.
  • Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Place the cake on a cooling rack and let it cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • 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.

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).

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (⅛ of recipe) | Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 55.7g | Protein: 3.2g | Fat: 22.6g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 30.9g | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg