High Altitude Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Sweet pineapple slices are baked in a rich brown sugar and butter sauce, topped with moist vanilla cake and decorated with pecans.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9 Inch Round Cake Pan
Ingredients
- 20 oz can pineapple slices or rings, in juice, not syrup
- ½ cup light or brown sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ¾ cups cake flour or all purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup pecans, optional
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Grease a 9 inch round cake pan pan with non-stick baking spray and line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper, too.
Pineapple Layer
- Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice for later. Arrange the pineapple slices in the bottom of the pan. You can fit 7 slices in a 9 inch round pan, but if you're making this recipe in a 9x9 square pan, you can fit 9 slices.
- Sprinkle the pineapple with the brown sugar, and then drizzle with the 4 tablespoons melted butter.
Cake Batter
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until evenly distributed.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, milk and sour cream, and whisk into a thick batter.
- Spread the batter evenly over the pineapple.
Bake
- Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until a sharp knife or cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, pour the reserved pineapple juice from the can into a small saucepan - you should have about 3/4 cup of juice. Over medium heat, bring the juice to a boil, then simmer until the juice has reduced to 1/3 cup. Set aside.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate or cake pedestal, so that the pineapple slices are on top. Remove the parchment paper, and brush the reduced pineapple juice over the cake, letting it soak in.
- Arrange a pecan half in the center of each pineapple ring. Finely chop the rest of the pecans, and sprinkle them around the pineapples.
- Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, with freshly whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
After cooling the cake completely, it should be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To soften the cold cake, reheat individual slices in the microwave at 50% power for 20-30 seconds.
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