Vegan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Vegan pineapple upside-down cake - this vegan version of the classic childhood favourite cake is just as good as the original and easy to make too. Gooey caramelised pineapple slices and cherries sit atop a soft, moist vanilla cake. It is wonderful served warm with custard! Eggless and dairy-free.

Pineapple upside-down cake is a gloriously retro recipe and it is a classic for very good reason. The combination of gooey caramel, sweet pineapple and soft cake is a hard one to beat!

This vegan version is easy to make and tastes just like I remember from my childhood. It is a very nostalgic cake and is total comfort food heaven, especially when served slightly warm with custard or ice cream!

It is sweet, sticky and very more-ish. It may not be a particularly 'trendy' cake any more but, as a comforting pudding it can't be beaten!

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake?:

For the topping:

Light brown soft or muscovado sugar: Using brown sugar is what gives the topping that wonderful caramel flavour. I don't recommend using a dark brown sugar however as that will make the cake look too dark.

Vegan butter: I prefer to use a block butter such as Naturli Vegan Block, but you can get away with using a tub variety if that is all you have.

Tinned pineapple rings: Tinned pineapple is more traditional than fresh and a lot less hassle! You will need about 7 pineapple rings, from a 435g tin. Get the kind that come in juice rather than syrup as you will need some of the juice for the cake batter.

Maraschino or glace cherries: These are optional, but do give the cake more of a retro-fabulous look. I prefer the flavour of maraschino ones but glace is fine too.

For the cake:

Plain (all-purpose) flour: Just regular white flour, I don't recommend using wholemeal as that will make the cake too dense.

Cornflour (cornstarch): A little bit of cornflour helps give the cake a nice texture but you can just use more plain flour if you don't have any.

Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda: A mix of both gives the best rise and texture.

Caster (superfine) sugar: Granulated will work in a pinch but caster really is best for baking. I like to use golden caster sugar but white is absolutely fine too.

Non-dairy milk: Ideally unsweetened. Any variety will work but soy is best for baking as it has the highest protein content.

Non-dairy yogurt: This replaces the egg and lends the cake a lovely soft texture. Again you ideally want to use unsweetened; I use the Coconut Collaborative. If you don't have any vegan yogurt you can try replacing it with unsweetened apple sauce or maybe aquafaba.

Pineapple juice: I add a bit of the reserved pineapple juice from the tin of pineapple slices for extra flavour, but you can just use more milk instead if you want.

Melted vegan butter and sunflower oil: As a general rule, cakes made with oil are more moist, and cakes made with butter have more flavour so I decided to go for the best of both worlds and use both! Ideally you want to use a block butter such as Naturli Vegan block. Any neutral oil will work but I generally use sunflower or mild olive oil.

Vinegar: A bit of acid helps activate the raising agents to make the cake light and fluffy. I use either cider or white wine vinegar but lemon juice will also work.

Vanilla extract: Use a good quality extract (not essence) for the best flavour. I like Nielsen-Massey.

How To Make Vegan Pineapple Upside-Down Cake:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

Start by preparing your cake tin, it should be non-stick and no less than 5cm/2in deep to avoid possible overflowing. I use a 20cm/8in round tin but a 23cm/9in one should also be fine. It should NOT be loose bottomed or springform otherwise you risk the caramel leaking out.

You don't want to line the tin with baking parchment as that can mess up the topping so just grease it well.

To make the topping, stir together melted vegan butter and light brown soft or muscovado sugar until it is smooth then spread it evenly across the bottom of the cake tin.

Thoroughly blot the pineapple rings and cherries dry with kitchen paper, excess liquid can make the cake too wet.

Arrange the pineapple rings in the base of the tin - one pineapple ring in the middle and six around the edge. You may need to squish them together a bit to fit them in.

Place a cherry in the middle of each ring, and more in the gaps in between them if you like. Place the tin in the fridge while you prepare the cake batter.

In a large bowl, whisk together plain flour, cornflour, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt until well combined.

In a jug, whisk together non-dairy milk, pineapple juice reserved from the tin of pineapple slices, vegan yogurt, oil, melted vegan butter, vanilla extract and vinegar.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain but do not over-beat the batter as that can make the cake tough.

Pour the batter into the pineapple lined cake tin and spread it level. Bake until the cake is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Be careful you don't push it all the way through to the pineapple though.

Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes to allow it to settle then run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it, place a serving plate on top of the tin, carefully flip it over and lift off the cake tin.

Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving.

Top Tips:

For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.

The tin that you use should be non-stick and no less than 5cm/2in deep to avoid possible overflowing. I use a 20cm/8in round tin but a 23cm/9in one should also be fine. It should NOT be loose bottomed or springform otherwise the caramel topping will leak out all over your oven.

Make sure that you properly blot the pineapple and cherries dry with kitchen roll. Any excess liquid can make the cake too damp.

Don’t over-mix the batter as that can make the cake tough, just mix it until no dry lumps remain.

The cake is ready when it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

Make sure that you allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before you flip it out onto a plate, this gives it time to settle. Don't leave it in the tin for too long however as then it is more likely to stick.

It is tempting to eat the cake right away, but as it is a very tender cake you will not be able to slice it neatly when it is warm. If you want to be able to cut clean slices you will need to leave it to cool for several hours at room temperature before slicing it. Don't place it in the fridge to speed up cooling as this can make the cake dense.

If you want to serve this vegan pineapple upside-down cake warm, slices of it can be heated through in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Can I Make It In Advance?:

Not really I'm afraid, this vegan pineapple upside-down cake is best eaten fresh, on the day it is baked; though any leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

More Classic Vegan Cakes:

Vegan Battenberg cake

Vegan Victoria sponge cake

Vegan lemon drizzle cake

Vegan Simnel cake

Vegan coffee and walnut cake

Easy vegan ginger cake

Vegan Christmas cake

Vegan carrot cake

Vegan apple cake

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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