Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake (No Box Mix)

This pineapple upside down bundt cake is a from-scratch pound cake. It’s buttery, dense and golden, with a ring of caramelized brown sugar, pineapple and cherries. No cake mix needed!

Our two tips to ensure success: fill the pan no higher than an inch from the rim, and flip within 5 minutes of taking it out of the oven.

Love Bundt cakes? Try our glazed pumpkin bundt cake and old fashioned poppy seed bundt cake, too!

What Makes This Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake Different?

It’s a real pound cake, not a doctored up box mix. Many bundt cake recipes start with a box mix. It works and I’m not opposed to it in any way, but the crumb is usually light and airy. For this cake, I wanted dense and buttery. Heavy enough to hold the brown sugar syrup and pineapple cherry topping.

It’s made for the holidays. The flavor gets better overnight, so bake it the day before a holiday and for an easy dessert. And if you love a showstopper cake, try our cranberry upside down cake.

Ingredients

This recipe takes basic ingredients: eggs, brown and white sugar, baking powder, flour and vanilla.

And yes, it takes 1 pound of butter. Pound cakes are known for being rich and dense rather than light and fluffy. 12 ounces of butter (3 sticks) go in the cake and the last 4 ounces is melted and mixed with brown sugar for the bottom of the cake pan.

And just like any other pineapple upside down cake, you’ll need pineapple rings and a jar of maraschino cherries.

One 20-ounce can of pineapple rings packed in juice usually covers both the 6 rings and the ¾ cup of juice for the batter. Top it off with bottled pineapple juice if you come up short.

Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. Don’t scoop it straight from the bag. Scooping packs in extra flour, and that makes a heavier batter that domes and pushes up out of the pan. If you have a scale, use 390 grams.

Will this cake overflow? Use the 1-inch rule.

This is a big pound cake, so the pan size matters. Once the topping, fruit and batter are in, the pan should be filled no higher than 1 inch below the rim.

• Check your pan. Fill it with water one cup at a time. It needs to hold a full 12 cups. Many pans labeled “10 to 12 cup” hold closer to 10.
• Got extra batter? Don’t force it in. Bake the extra as a few cupcakes at the same temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
• And just in case. Set a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below the cake to catch any drips.

How to Make Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

• Prepare. Preheat the oven to 325°F and set a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with shortening and dust it with flour (or use Baker’s Joy or Cake Release).

2. Mix the butter, sugar and eggs. Beat them together for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until blended.

3. Mix in dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda just until smooth. Overmixing makes a tough, tall-rising cake.

4. Add in liquids. Mix in the vanilla and pineapple juice until combined.
5. Prepare the bottom of the pan. Stir the brown sugar and melted butter together and pour it into the bottom of the pan. Pat the pineapple rings dry with a paper towel, arrange them in the pan, then tuck a cherry in the center of each ring and between the rings. Doing the topping first means you can’t forget it.

6. Bake. Spoon the batter gently over the fruit and spread it evenly. Stop 1 inch below the rim. Bake for 70 to 90 minutes. Start checking at 70 minutes, and if the top is browning too fast at the 60 minute mark, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.

7. Invert and cool. Flip within 5 minutes. Let it sit just 2 to 5 minutes, then put a serving plate over the pan and flip it. If a piece of pineapple sticks, lift it out with a butter knife and press it back onto the warm cake. Nobody will ever know!

Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

4.98 from 40 votes

A from-scratch pound cake with a buttery brown sugar pineapple top. My pan-fill rule stops overflow, and the 5-minute flip keeps every ring in place.

Servings 15

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

US Customary – Metric

• 1 1/2 cups salted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs at room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter melted
• 6 pineapple rings
• maraschino cherries

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with shortening, then dust it with flour. (Or use Baker's Joy or Cake Release. See above article.)
• In large bowl using a stand mixer or electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. 1 ½ cups salted butter, 3 cups granulated sugar
• Add in the eggs and continue to mix until blended. 5 large eggs
• Add in the flour, baking powder and mix again just until smooth. Do not overmix. 3 cups all-purpose flour , 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pour in the vanilla extract and pineapple juice and mix to combine. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¾ cup pineapple juice
• In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and melted butter and pour into bottom of prepared pan. ½ cup light brown sugar , ½ cup salted butter
• Layer the pineapple slices around the bottom of pan and place a cherry in the center of ring and on the outside. 6 pineapple rings, maraschino cherries
• Spread the batter evenly in the bundt pan and bake for 70-90 minutes or until center is set. (The internal temperature of the cake should be between 200-210ºF. )
• Immediately invert cake out onto serving tray. (If you don't turn out right away the brown sugar mixture will harden and stick to pan.)
• Allow the cake to cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature. This cake has the best flavor if you serve it the day after making it.

Video

Notes

• There is no additional salt in this recipe. If you only have unsalted butter, add ¾ teaspoon of salt to the cake batter.
• Yes, 1 ½ cups of butter (3 sticks) is a lot, but it is traditional for a pound cake. One reader made the cake with 1 cup of butter, then added in ¼ cup spiced rum (or you could do milk) and the cake turned out well.
• Pan size: Your pan must hold a full 12 cups (test it with water). Fill no higher than 1 inch from the rim, and bake leftover batter as cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Flour: Spoon and level it, or weigh 390 g. Packed flour makes the cake rise higher and can cause overflow.
• Pineapple: Pat the rings dry so the topping caramelizes instead of steaming.
•  
• Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 858IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 539

Keyword bundt cake, fruit cake recipe, homemade cake

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