Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Total: 60 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 1 Bundt cake

Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake is a beautiful and unique way to serve the classic sweet and tangy dessert. It tastes just like the traditional Southern specialty, but in a gorgeous ring shape that make bundt cakes such a party showstopper. The pineapple slices fit perfectly into the indentations in the bundt pan. The maraschino cherries pull double duty here: not only do they add a bright burst of flavor, but they also help the pineapple slices stay in place as you pour in the batter.

You can use a simple and tasty homemade yellow cake recipe, or you can just as easily use a boxed cake mix in a pinch, along with canned pineapples. You’ll need one can of pineapples to replace the one fresh fruit. If you use canned pineapple, you can also add in a little bit of the canned juice as a substitute for some of the liquid (milk or water) for a sweeter, more pineapply cake.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple rings, or 1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored

• 18 maraschino cherries

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/4 cups milk

Steps to Make It

1. Grease your Bundt pan with cooking spray. Pour the 1/2 cup of melted butter into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle the 1/2 cup of brown sugar evenly over the butter.

2. Prepare the pineapple by cutting the peeled fruit into rings and coring each ring. Cut each ring in half. Lay the curved edge of each half ring into the indentations of the Bundt pan. Place the maraschino cherries in between each piece of pineapple. You may need more or fewer maraschino cherries and pineapple rings depending on the shape of your Bundt pan.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the oven rack on the lower middle part of the oven. Cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until creamy, about 10 minutes on medium-high speed.

4. Beat in the 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla until fluffy.

5. Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

6. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the 1 1/4 cup of milk to the creamed mixture in your stand mixer. Beat after each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

7. Pour the cake batter over the prepared Bundt pan. 

8. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until edges are bubbly and a toothpick comes out of the cake cleanly.

9. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes in the cake pan. Then flip the cake onto your chosen serving platter and serve while it is still warm.