Do you love fruity desserts? I certainly do, especially during the warmer months. Well then, let me introduce you to vegan pineapple upside down cake. It’s pretty much the ultimate fruity dessert. This cake is topped with caramelized pineapples and cherries, plus it has pineapple juice in the batter. It’s loaded with sweet, fruity flavors, but it’s better than your typical fruity dessert, thanks to the gooey topping. It’s also one of those desserts that you’d never know was made without eggs or dairy. This pineapple upside down cake tasted just like the classic version that I learned to make in middle school cooking class, and my non-vegan family members gobbled it right up! Let’s talk about how this delicious cake is made.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Vegan butter. You should be able to find dairy-free butter this near the regular butter at your supermarket. Look for brands like Earth Balance and Miyoko’s.Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan. You could also substitute coconut sugar if you’d like.Canned pineapple.Maraschino cherries.Flour. We’re using all-purpose flour. I’m not sure if any other varieties will work.Baking powder.Baking soda.Salt.Non-dairy milk. Any variety that’s unflavored and unsweetened will work. Try soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk.Pineapple juice. Use the juice from your can of pineapple rings.Vanilla extract.Sugar. Again, make sure this is organic.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Prepare the topping first. Pour melted vegan butter into a 9-inch round cake pan, rolling it around to coat the sides.Sprinkle brown sugar into the cake pan, then arrange pineapple slices and cherries in the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you make your cake batter.
Tip: If you want to be on the safe side, use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches tall. Most recipes require this. I find that if I use a shorter pan the cake will simply rise above the top of the pan, but it won’t spill. You could also place a baking sheet under the pan while it bakes, just in case!
Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Stir your wet ingredients together in a small container. Milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract.
Tip: Unless a recipe specifies otherwise, always bring your liquid ingredients up to room temperature when baking.
Use an electric mixer to cream your room temperature vegan butter and sugar together in a large bowl.Begin beating in the flour mixture, using the mixer at low speed.Once all of the dry ingredient mixture has been added, begin beating in the milk mixture at low speed. Beat the ingredients until they’re fully mixed and a smooth batter is formed.
Pour the batter into your cake pan, over the topping, then pop the pan into the oven.Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Once the cake has finished baking, transfer it to a cooling rack. It will need at least 20 minutes to cool before you can carefully flip it onto a serving dish.
Tip: I like to carefully run a knife around the outer edges of my pan to loosen the cake before inverting it. This helps to ensure that the whole cake comes out of the pan when I do!
Slice the cake and enjoy! Vegan pineapple upside down cake is best served warm. It’s also excellent with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan pineapple upside down cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about a day, or in the refrigerator for about 3 days. I like to place a sheet of parchment paper on top to protect the topping, then slide the entire cake (on a dish) into a 2 gallon zipper bag. This cake can be frozen, but it will get a bit soggy when you thaw it. If you do freeze it, follow my recommendations above for sealing it up. It will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Vegan Chocolate CakeVegan Carrot CakeVegan Spice CakeVegan Vanilla CakeVegan Banana CakeVegan Coffee Cake
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