Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a classic dessert with gooey brown sugar, pineapple rings, and cherries. Dairy free option!
I still remember the first pineapple upside down cake I made. I had gotten a gluten free dessert cookbook from the book store and it was the first recipe that I made!
My mom is a huge fan of pineapple upside down cake, so I made it for her. I think I actually made it for her birthday? I can’t remember, it was when I was a teenager.
One thing that I loved, is that the recipe in the cookbook used a cast iron skillet to bake the pineapple upside down cake. It made the recipe so easy because you just melted the butter on the stove top and then mixed in brown sugar and vanilla. The cast iron also heats very evenly and helps to get beautiful golden edges!
For my batter I made some changes to my gluten free homemade white cake mix, subbing in brown sugar for a deeper flavor and using whole eggs. The results is a perfectly moist cake with the sweet brown sugar “caramel” coating the sweet pineapple and cherries.
The cake came out perfectly the first time I made it! We were on our way out the door to a potluck so I didn’t take pictures before we left. I brought the cake still hot! When we got to the potluck
I cut a slice for myself first thing, just in case the cake got cross contaminated.
I am so glad that I did!
Someone opened a bottle of beer and it spurted everywhere in a foamy fountain of gluten-death…all over my cake. Normally when I bring a gluten free treat to a potluck I almost hope that gluten-eating-people don’t eat any of it so that I can bring it all home and hoard it in my freezer (or my stomach.) After the beer fountain I was not tempted to bring the leftovers home, and my waistline thanked me.
So whether you share your gluten free pineapple upside down cake, or hide it away for yourself, it is sure to bring smiles and happy tummies.
- ¼ cup vegan or dairy butter (I used Earth Balance)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR vanilla paste
- 7 pineapple rings (I used canned)
- 13 maraschino cherries
- 1¼ cups gluten free flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour already has it)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk of choice (I used almond)
- ¼ cup pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings (can sub another ¼ cup of milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 6 Tablespoons oil
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- In a 10 inch cast iron skilletmelt your butter over medium heat. Remove from head and stir in the brown sugar and vanilla and spread evenly.
- Arrange the pineapple rings and cherries on top of the brown sugar mixture.
- Whisk together the gluten free flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together the pineapple juice, milk, vanilla, eggs and oil.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Carefully pour the batter over the pineapple in the skillet (so you don't disturb the beautiful design) and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes. Run a butter knife or spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen it, and then invert the cake onto its serving plate.
Megan says
October 10, 2016 at 2:45 pmMy dad would LOVE this!
flippindelicious says
October 13, 2016 at 8:47 pmThanks Megan!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
October 10, 2016 at 6:39 pmSuch a fun cake! I haven’t had one in so many years. My grandma used to make a delicious one, but it wasn’t gluten free of course. Love your version!
flippindelicious says
October 13, 2016 at 8:47 pmThanks Emily!
Sandi (@fearless_dining) says
October 10, 2016 at 11:15 pmThis cake is too pretty to eat Brianna 🙂 Love this type of cake. It definitely brings back memories.
flippindelicious says
October 13, 2016 at 8:47 pmThanks Sandi! It is a classic.
Sister Kyoya says
October 12, 2016 at 6:33 pmI was wondering if you would have any suggestions on what to replace the pineapple/pineapple juice with? I really don’t like being ‘one of those people’ so if you don’t have a suggestion don’t stress out about it. I was just wondering since I’m highly allergic to pineapple even though I still like it. It’s hard to replace that distinctive balance of sweet & tart that pineapple has. Every time I think about eating it I just cringe remembering the last time I did and ended up with my body covered in hives for a week. It was so bad that my hives had hives. -___-
I’ve got a couple of mini cakes in the oven as I test out a vanilla cake recipe using your cake & cookie flour blend. I’m a long time baker who’s new to GF baking, so it has been an interesting experience to say the least. XD
flippindelicious says
October 13, 2016 at 8:52 pmHi Sister Kyoya! I don’t have any ideas for something that tastes similar to pineapple, but you could really use almost any fruit and bake it in a similar way. Or just do a whole bunch of maraschino cherries. That sounds amazing!
Welcome to the “magical” world of gluten free baking! The transition can be difficult, but the more you bake gluten free the easier it gets. I hope that your cake turned out splendidly!
Annette says
October 30, 2016 at 1:41 pmTry substituting the pineapple with asian pears! amazing sweetness! Cut into rings (pealed first) & core. you will love it. My best friend found out she cannot have gluten or dairy so this really helps. I try to make foods we all will like & that taste great. Love this blog. Definitely following! Glad to have found you!
flippindelicious says
October 31, 2016 at 11:20 amPears sound like a great substitute. I can’t wait to try it! Thanks Annette.
Nancy says
October 12, 2016 at 8:31 pmA lot of us have are egg-allergic. Please, do you have an egg free option?
flippindelicious says
October 13, 2016 at 8:42 pmHi Nancy!
I think most egg substitutes would work in this recipe. My go-to is a flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal with 3 tablespoons warm water-let sit until thickened.)
Let me know what sub you try!
Cathy Caldwell says
October 12, 2016 at 9:15 pmDear Brianna,
Thank you for your lovely recipes. After 56 years of marriage and 76 years of age, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, so it has been hard to fix 2 different meals 3 times a day. You have inspired me to take a day and make some Gluten
Free foods for myself and freeze them. The frozen GF food in the store is find for some but it just doesn’t taste as
good as homemade!
Thanks again for everything!
flippindelicious says
October 13, 2016 at 8:41 pmHi Cathy! I am happy that my recipes are able to help you. Cooking ahead is a great idea!
I don’t/can’t make 2 different meals! My family eats what I eat. Gluten-free is really just as good as it’s traditional counterpart and then I don’t ever have to worry about cross contamination. I can’t imagine making 6 meals a day! 2.5 does me in. You are super woman!
Best,
Brianna
Jennie Baez says
June 22, 2017 at 9:31 pmWhat kind of oil for the cake batter? I am trying to bake a little healthier. I sometimes use extra light olive oil but it might give the cake a bad taste.
flippindelicious says
June 27, 2017 at 6:15 amHi Jennie,
Any oil with a light taste will be fine. I believe I used a vegetable oil in this recipe, however, I also do bake with olive oil and have had no issues as long as it isn’t a fruity, strongly flavored olive oil.
Happy Baking!
-Brianna
Katie says
January 11, 2018 at 6:59 pmThank you so much for this gluten friendly dessert! Mine is currently baking.. Is the batter supposed to be super thick?
Thanks in advance!
Can’t wait to try it!
flippindelicious says
January 21, 2018 at 3:20 pmHi Katie, Yes, the batter is a bit thick but should still be easily spreadable.
jamie says
March 27, 2018 at 10:37 amDo I have to cook it in a cast iron skillet? Can you recommend something else, maybe a spring form pan?
flippindelicious says
March 27, 2018 at 11:13 amYou can definitely use a different pan if you don’t have a cast iron skillet. I’d use a larger round pan, a spring form or other cake pan will work great. You’ll have to adjust the cook time a little, depending on the pan you use. Start checking it early and remove it from the oven when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, with maybe just a small crumb or two. The cake should also spring back if you lightly touch it with your finger, not leave an indentation.
Happy Baking!
Olivia says
December 23, 2018 at 6:13 pmHi. I hope this thread isn’t too old that you won’t see my question! I can no longer “flip” my cast iron skillet. I was very interested in your substitute pan choices. My mother would sometimes use a 13×9 inch cake pan. She wouldn’t turn it over… just cut and serve a “surprise.” I’m wondering if the same baking time suggestion will work for this rectangular pan? Thanks, Olivia
flippindelicious says
January 3, 2019 at 10:40 amHi Olivia,
If you use a 13×9 inch pan you’ll probably need to decrease the baking time a little (since the pan is larger, the batter will be thinner and cook quicker.) Other than that, it should work great.
I like the texture the cast iron skillet gives the edge, and it also makes it easy to melt the butter to make the caramel for the bottom. It is a bit nontraditional, but it is my favorite way to bake gluten free pineapple upside down cake.
Happy Baking! -Brianna