The BEST pineapple upside down cake recipe EVER! It has a caramel topping with pineapple rounds over a dense cake with almond flour.

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

The single most requested cake at our family and friend gatherings is my father’s homemade pineapple upside down cake.

It is hands down the best pineapple upside down cake recipe I know! Dad will look for almost any excuse to make it, and we never get tired of it.

Our Favorite Videos Get Recipe »

Pineapple Upside Down Cake from Scratch

This pineapple upside down cake is dense, like a sour cream pound cake, with ground almonds in the flour to give it even more substance and a slight almond flavor.

The caramel pineapple topping is so good, you’ll want to pick every crumb.

The Best Pan to Use

You’ll need a high-sided 10-inch cake pan for this recipe, like this one.

If you don’t have a high-sided 10-inch cake pan, you might try making this in a springform pan. If you do, line the inside with foil so the caramel doesn’t leak, and bake on a rimmed baking sheet just in case it does.

How To Make the Caramel Topping

There are a couple of ways to make the caramel topping for this cake. The easiest way is to just melt brown sugar and butter together. This is the default method for the recipe.

My father prefers using white sugar (with a little corn syrup) instead of brown sugar to make the caramel base. He caramelizes the white sugar and corn syrup first, before adding butter. (Instructions are in the Recipe Note below if you’d like to try his method). He prefers white sugar to brown sugar because brown sugar has flavors of molasses that he doesn’t want in the cake. A small amount of corn syrup helps keep the sugar from crystallizing.

His approach uses twice as much sugar, but creates a deeply flavorful, rich topping for the cake. Both toppings work, feel free to use either one!

How to Store Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This cake is delicious served the day it’s made, and is so rich and moist it will still taste wonderful for several days. Just cover it with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature or in the fridge.

The cake freezes well. To freeze, just wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. Unwrap the cake before defrosting it in the fridge or at room temp.

Interested in learning more about Pineapple Upside Down Cake? Check out the history of Pineapple Upside Down Cake from my friend Tori Avey.

Love Upside Down Cakes? Try These