Transport yourself to a tropical shore with this gluten-free pineapple upside down cake! With its rich and caramelized pineapple topping and a moist and delicate crumb, this recipe will leave even your gluten-eating friends begging for more!
Recipe Highlights
- Texture: This cake has a soft and moist sponge, and the brown sugar and buttery pineapple layer adds moisture, sweetness, and flavor to the sponge.
- Flavor: There's nothing quite like the sweet, caramel, buttery, and bright flavor of pineapple upside down cake!
- Allergy-Friendly: Not only is this cake gluten-free, but it's also super easy to make dairy-free!
- Easy: Though this recipe does call for a few steps, none are complicated. I also give you all the tips to keep your pineapple cake from falling apart!
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about some of the key ingredients in this recipe:
Pineapple: Don't forget to reserve 2 tablespoons of the pineapple juice from the cutting board.
Butter: You can swap it out for vegan butter sticks to make this a dairy-free cake.
Gluten-Free Flour: Choose a blend that contains xanthan gum, like Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour.
Cornstarch: I love adding a little cornstarch to my gluten-free cake to make it more tender and fluffy.
Sour Cream: Creates a soft and moist cake crumb. To make it dairy-free, swap it out for equal amounts of mayonnaise.
Milk: Use either whole milk or your favorite plain non-dairy milk.
Spices: I love the combination of ground cinnamon and ground cardamom, but feel free to skip the cardamom, or add a touch of nutmeg.
Recipe Success Tips
Mix the batter thoroughly. Gluten-free cake batters need to be over-mixed rather than under-mixed. Since there is no gluten in the flour, you will need to give the gluten-free pineapple upside down cake batter a few good extra stirs to help it develop structure.
Let the batter rest. This allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate, creating that moist and delicate crumb.
Carefully pour the cake batter over the pineapples. The batter can push the pineapple rings around in the cake pan as you pour it in, so gently and slowly pouring it in is best.
Cool the cake briefly before turning out. This will allow the cake to release more easily from the pan.
Storage Directions
Refrigeration: Leftover gluten-free pineapple cake keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezing: The baked cake can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Freeze the cake whole or wrap up individual slices in plastic wrap before placing them in the freezer-safe container.
Defrosting: Individual pieces of pineapple cake will defrost at room temperature for 1 hour. Thaw the full cake covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, or until entirely defrosted.
Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Pineapple Layer
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 small pineapple
- pinch of salt
Cake
- 1⅓ cups gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅔ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Peel, core, and slice the pineapple into ½-inch thick rings. You'll need 6-7 slices. Reserve two tablespoons of the pineapple juice from the cutting board or, using a citrus press, squeeze juice from an extra slice.
- Add the butter, light brown sugar, salt, and pineapple juice to a skillet. Cook it over medium heat while stirring occasionally, or until it thickens slightly.
- Add the pineapple slices to the brown sugar mixture and cook for 10 minutes, flipping the pineapple halfway through. Take the skillet off the heat.
- In a bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and granulated sugar until combined.
- Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients and, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together until combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredient mixture and whisk to combine.
- While continuing to mix the batter, slowly pour in the milk until smooth and pourable. Cover the mixing bowl and let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
- While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease the sides of a 9-inch round pan.
- Arrange the pineapple slices in the bottom of the pan. Pour all of the syrup on top.
- Carefully pour the cake batter over the pineapple, making sure not to move around the pineapple as you do. Smooth out the surface and bake the cake for 40-43 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before flipping it over onto a plate.
Notes
- Refrigeration: Leftover pineapple cake keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: The baked cake can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Freeze the cake whole or wrap up individual slices in plastic wrap before placing them in the freezer-safe container. Defrost individual pieces of pineapple cake at room temperature for 1 hour; thaw the full cake covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, or until entirely defrosted.
Nutrition
FAQs
Yes, fresh pineapple is gluten-free. It contains no wheat products or other sources of gluten as long as it did not share a cutting board with any foods that do. Almost all brands of canned pineapple are gluten-free as well, but you'll still want to double-check the ingredient label to confirm.
Your pineapple upside down cake might have fallen apart for a few reasons. The most common reasons are overmixing the batter, not adequately greasing the baking pan, and hitting or banging the pan to release the cake.
To prevent these issues, grease the cake pan well, and gently turn the cake upside down to release the cake. If you are making a gluten-free upside down cake, you do not need to worry about the cake texture being adversely affected by overmixing. Instead, I recommend giving it a few extra good stirs. Additionally, let the gluten-free cake batter rest for 30 minutes before pouring it into the cake pan, as this hydrates the flour, helping the cake's texture and consistency.
Yes, you do need to refrigerate pineapple upside down cake after it is baked to keep the pineapple from going bad. Cool the cake completely and cover the cake with a cake dome or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
The best way to keep gluten-free cake mix from getting gummy is to use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, let the cake batter rest for 30 minutes before baking, and stir the cake mix for an extra few stirs to help develop a delicate but still moist crumb.
More Gluten-Free Desserts
Want more cake? Try my gluten-free coffee cake–it's perfect for any brunch gathering!
My gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake and gluten-free pound cake are perfect if you want cake, but you don't feel like dealing with frosting.
If you love chocolate cake, try my gluten-free chocolate cake recipe or gluten-free German chocolate cake. They're moist, rich, and always get rave reviews!
If you want something super easy and fruity, make this gluten-free rhubarb crisp in the spring and early summer, and this gluten-free apple crisp in the fall! And if it's blueberry season, you can't go wrong with these gluten-free blueberry muffins.
Leave a Reply