Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Today I want to share this amazingly simple gluten free pineapple upside down cake with you. It's a single layer vegan and gluten free vanilla cake topped with slices of pineapple and maraschino cherries covered in a sweet brown sugar syrup. It's easy to make and requires no extra decoration.

Pineapple upside down cakes gained popularity in the 1960s and were pretty popular through the 1980s. I haven't seen one served in a long time, but I have fond memories of making them as a kid. We used to make ours with a box cake mix, but I always feel like homemade cakes are so much better. This vanilla cake is made without eggs, dairy or gluten so it's a great cake to share that can fit lots of dietary needs.

If you're looking for more nostalgic cakes to try, check out my Italian cream cake or this delightful blueberry buckle or you might love my strawberry banana upside down cake.

Why You 'll Love This Cake Recipe

• Ease - This cake is easy to make. It only takes a few minutes to put together and once it's baked, there is no need for decorations.
• Simple but delicious - This simple vanilla cake is perfectly complimented by the sweet pineapple and cherries.
• Allergen friendly - Not only is this cake gluten free and dairy free, it's also eggless. No one will realize this is a vegan cake!

Ingredient Notes

• Vegan Butter - You'll need butter for both the syrup topping as well as inside the cake layer. I like Country Crock plant butter or Miyokos plant butter. Whatever brand you like, make sure to use the stick type of butter and not margarine. If you're not dairy free, use dairy butter in the same measure.
• Brown Sugar - Brown sugar cooks down with the melted butter making a syrup topping to coat the fruit. You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar here.
• Pineapple Slices - Make sure to choose pineapple slices in 100% juice. You will need about 10 slices, which is a full 20 ounce can. You can also use fresh pineapple slices, although it's harder to get uniform sizes. Do not use frozen fruit or pineapple chunks.
• Maraschino Cherries - Not all packaged cherries are gluten free. Ensure your brand is marked on the jar or check with the manufacturer.
• Gluten Free Flour Blend - I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to1 flour for this recipe. You can use the gluten free flour blend you prefer, but ensure it contains xanthan gum or a similar binder. Using another brand of flour may result in a different outcome in your bake as all gluten free flour blends are a little different in their makeup.
• Cornstarch - Adding a little starch to the gluten free flour lightens it up so that it resembles cake flour. If you don't want to use cornstarch, arrowroot or tapioca starch are suitable replacements.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda - A combination of leavening agents helps the cake to rise and lightens the texture.
• Salt - salt is an important ingredient to balance the flavors of this cake. Don't be tempted to skip it.
• Sugar - White sugar will help to sweeten the vanilla cake.
• Vanilla Extract - Helps to sweeten the cakeand add depth to the flavor.
• Vegan Sour Cream - Sour cream adds a little acidity and richness to the cake. If you're not dairy free, use regular sour cream in the same measure.
• Soy Milk - I specifically used soy milk in this recipe because it contains the highest amount of protein of all the dairy free milks. If you want to use another milk, like almond milk or oat milk, you will need to add 2 egg whites or another egg replacer. If you're not dairy free, use regular whole milk in the same measure - no need to add eggs if using dairy milk.
• Apple Cider Vinegar - This acid is used to sour the milk and activate the proteins to help stabilize the cake structure.

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

How to Make a Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This cake recipe uses the reverse creaming method for mixing. It produces a cake with few air bubbles resulting in a dense but velvety smooth cake texture. It's easiest to achieve with a stand mixer or handheld mixer.

STEP 1: Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir well and set aside for at least 5 minutes for the milk to curdle.

STEP 2: Add the gluten free flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar to your mixing bowl. Stir together with the paddle attachment until well mixed.

STEP 3: Add the room temperature vegan butter along with 2 tablespoons of the soy milk. Mix together for about 2 minutes until the butter is completely broken up into small pieces and mixed into the flour.

STEP 4: Add the vegan sour cream, vanilla and remaining soy milk to the partially mixed cake batter. Beat for another 2 minutes or so until it comes together in a thick batter.

STEP 5: Use paper towels to blot the pineapple and cherries dry.

STEP 6: Pour the melted vegan butter into a deep pie plate or cake pan.

STEP 7: Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter in an even layer.

STEP 8: Arrange the pineapple rings and cherries on top of the brown sugar mixture.

STEP 9: Gently spread the cake batter over the fruit taking care not to disturb the arrangement. Then bake!

Baking Tip

Drying the fruit before placing it in the baking dish keeps the cake from getting soggy.

Storage

Pineapple upside down cake is best eaten the day it was baked. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Other cake recipes to consider:

If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.