Pineapple Upside Down Cake from Scratch

It is hard to overstate how simple yet stunning pineapple upside-down cake is. This cake has retro charm, but it’s a classic whose appeal hasn’t waned since it first appeared on the home baking scene. It starts with a rich butter cake that, once removed from the pan, reveals a design of caramelized pineapple rings studded with maraschino cherries. Each bite is little treasure chest of flavor — tender cake, mingled with the sweet and slightly tangy notes of pineapple and cherry.

The thing about pineapple cake that makes it so beloved is that it is dead simple to make at home. The fruit for pineapple upside-down cake is canned, meaning you never have to worry about it being in season, and you don’t need to know any special baking techniques to make this cake successfully at home.Pineapple upside-down cake has a near universal appeal — the single cake layer only requires one bowl to mix, and it isn’t overly sweet.

Here we’re also putting some pineapple in the batter by using the pineapple juice in the cake batter! Because hello, the juice around those pineapple rings is sweet and full of flavor, so why waste it? You’ll need a cup to blend into the batter, which will leave you with just a few ounces for a cocktail or smoothie.

Ingredients:

For the topping:

• Cooking spray
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple rings in pineapple juice
• 8 to 10 maraschino cherries

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs