This fantastic pineapple upside down pound cake takes the best of two kinds of desserts and puts them together in one wonderful pineapple upside down Bundt cake you’ll want to share with friends. Or not.
Pound cakes are the best, and I have lots of pound cake recipes on the blog. There’s not much more that beats the old fashioned gooey sweetness of a pineapple upside down cake. So by putting these two old fashioned southern desserts together, everybody wins!
If you’re looking for a pineapple upside down cheesecake, I can help you there, too!
Variations on the Classic Pound Cake
The pound cakes that I make are not traditional in the sense that they don’t contain equal parts of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs.
But they are traditional in the sense that all my pound cake recipes start with one main recipe that I then alter to make other flavors.
Here are the ingredients and amounts for my (perfect) pound cake recipe:
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- 12 oz butter
- 19 oz granulated sugar
- 1 slightly rounded teaspoon sea salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (best quality)
- 5 large eggs, beaten
- 13 oz cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 10 oz dairy (it used to be 8. You can use 8 if you want, but I think it’s more melty with 10)
PRO TIP: If you use an acidic dairy ingredient such as sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt, be sure to add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of acidic dairy along with the baking powder to keep the pH balanced
How to Make Topping for Pineapple Upside Down Cake
In a traditional pineapple upside down cake, the topping is generally made of
- brown sugar
- butter
- rings of canned pineapple
- maraschino cherries
Since the topping begins with cooking brown sugar and butter together, it technically falls under the category of butterscotch recipes. In the case of this cake though, the pineapple is really the star of the show.
The topping for my pineapple upside down Bundt cake is very similar, except rather than using canned pineapple and cherries, I use chopped fresh pineapple and leave out the cherries.
I also add a touch of salt to the mix, because I believe salt is necessary in all baked goods. You can read my post called What Does Salt in Baked Goods Do if you’d like to read more.
Where Did This Cake Recipe Come From?
I developed this recipe especially for a dear friend’s wedding. I made 5 different Bundt cakes for her wedding cake display, and since pineapple upside down cake is her favorite, I knew I’d have to include a pineapple upside down pound cake.
The cake went over really well, and the bride was thrilled I’d turned her childhood favorite into a pound cake!
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake Recipe
And now, here’s the recipe for the Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake. It’s my hope that by showing you the original recipe and this variation that you will be inspired to make your own perfect pound cake version!
I really hope you love this pineapple upside down pound cake, you guys! If you make it, please share a photo with me, either in the PCO Facebook Group or on instagram by tagging @onlinepastrychef and using hashtag #pcorecipe. Thanks, and enjoy!
Pineapple Upside Down Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Butterscotch-Pineapple Layer
- 3 oz 6 Tablespoons or 3/4 stick butter (salted is fine here)
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- heavy pinch of salt if using unsalted butter; wee pinch if using salted butter
- about 6-8 oz chopped pineapple (fresh or canned in juice)
For the Cake
- 12 oz unsalted butter
- 18 oz granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons best quality vanilla
- 1 gently rounded teaspoon sea salt
- 5 eggs , beaten
- 13 oz cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 8 oz chopped pineapple (fresh or canned in juice)
- 2 oz sour cream
Instructions
- Make sure all your refrigerated ingredients are at cool room temperature.
- Spray a 12-cup Bundt-type pan with pan spray. Flour it well, and tap out all the excess flour.
- Make sure your oven rack is positioned one notch below the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F.
For the Caramel Pineapple Layer
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.
- Add the sugar and salt, and stir until dissolved.
- Let the mixture come to a boil. When nice and bubbly without any butter sloshing around the edges of the sugar, pour evenly into the prepared pan.
- Arrange the cut pineapple on top however you want. I just used chopped, but half-rounds alternating in direction would look lovely.
- Set pan aside.
For the Cake
- Whisk together the cake flour and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.
- Puree pineapple and sour cream together in a blender. Set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as often as necessary.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until completely incorported. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, mixing on low just until each addition is incorporated. Begin and end with dry for a total of 3 dry additions and 2 wet additions.
- Spoon batter evenly over the caramel-pineapple layer in the prepared pan.
- Smooth the batter, and bake in your preheated oven until done. This takes 1 hour and 5 minutes in my oven. Start checking at 55 minutes and go from there.
- Remove cake from oven and cover with a piece of foil. Let sit for 45 minutes, then turn out onto the plate you'll be serving it on.
- Replace any pineapple pieces that might get stuck in the bottom of the pan and smooth down with an offset spatula sprayed with pan spray.
- Spray a parchment circle with pan spray and press onto the gooey caramel layer. Then, wrap the whole cake very well in plastic wrap and let cool in the fridge.
- Serve at room temperature. This cake doesn't need any glaze, but a little vanilla or caramel ice cream or coconut sorbet would go nicely with it.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you for spending some time with me today. Have a lovely day.
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Hi Jenni, I just found this recipe – I know – a bazillion years after you first posted it. Anyway, I want to make this in a Nordicware 18 cup fluted pan, and multiply it a bit for a crowd. How would I need to adjust baking time and temperature for this endeavor?
Hi, Lynn. You’ll need to scale everything up by 1/3, but I’d only increase the leavening to 1 1/4 teaspoons. I also recommend doubling the pineapple topping to make sure you have enough to go around. As to baking time, I am not entirely sure, but I would expect it would take about 1:20 or so to bake. Since it will take longer to bake, turn the oven temp down to 325F after about 45 minutes, and/or tent foil over the pan to prevent excessive browning. And please do a test run to fine tune your approach, especially if the cake is for a special occasion. I hope this helps, and I really hope you enjoy the cake!
I made this today for party tomorrow. I cooled it in refrigerator per instructions but after cooling, does it need to be refrigerated? Thanks!
Hey Donna. I keep mine in the fridge because of the fruit, but take it out a couple of hours before serving for best texture. Enjoy!
Hello, thank you for this recipe! I was scared to try it but it was absolutely a breeze to make. I added two tbs. of milk powder to the pound cake and the overall flavor was amazing. Thank you again.
Oh, wow, I’m so pleased you went for it and that you enjoyed it, Ebony! Thanks so much for letting me know!