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!
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
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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
-
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.
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).
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 slice (⅛ of recipe))
Calories 438
Calories from Fat 203
% Daily Value*
Fat 22.6g35%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Sodium 442mg18%
Potassium 171mg5%
Carbohydrates 55.7g19%
Fiber 1.6g6%
Sugar 30.9g34%
Protein 3.2g6%
Calcium 81mg8%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
