Cast Iron
My Mom's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Popular on Food52
35 Reviews
Smaug
December 22, 2023
OK, but I like a cake with a bit more character for this. I usually use some cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest in mine (and butter). Pineapple juice by itself is a pretty weak flavor- I like to reduce it to about 1/4 volume; if more liquid is needed I use mango nectar, but something like orange juice would work well too.
morgan
August 18, 2021
Fantastic recipe, doesn't take many ingredients and pretty quick, I used kiwifruit that had gone squishy instead of pineapple and it was a hit
Susan P.
October 17, 2020
Made this as a birthday gift for a friend. Turned out so beautiful with amazing aroma and sweetness. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! ❤️
Gloria M.
November 25, 2019
This is the same recipe I have used for about 35 years, I found it in a yellow cover hardback
McCall's cookbook, it is excellent, everyone who has tried it says it tastes like candy cake, so cool to find it 🤗
McCall's cookbook, it is excellent, everyone who has tried it says it tastes like candy cake, so cool to find it 🤗
bettye198
October 18, 2019
This is a great try. My Mom, R.I.P. loved this cake. However, never tried separating eggs and whipping whites to fold in. A new approach! Thank you because I hate using boxed cake mixes for pineapple upside down cake.
Anne P.
April 21, 2019
You are right. Your mother was a good cook. I followed your recipe exactly and it was excellent. Thanks for sharing a family recipe. No problems whatsoever.
judith@hudsonvalleycooking
March 12, 2019
I have not had this since I was a kid and want to try it but was nervous about the lack of butter in the batter. I will follow the advice in some of the comments. It will be nostalgia in a cast iron pan.
Marlys S.
March 12, 2019
I have made Pineapple Upside down cake for years. I learned that lining my iron skillet or any other container with parchment works very well for turning out the cake from pan.
Kim R.
May 5, 2016
Perhaps the cake sticks to the skillet because it is left to cool for to long before turning out;the pineapple glaze will stick to the pan, for me, ten minutes is long enough cooling time
EmJu
March 4, 2016
I made this cake and it was very good. My husband loved it. However I will add some butter to the batter next time to make it more yummy :-)
wendy
October 12, 2015
I made this cake but I would recommend using 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar for the topping in the skillet and then use the other 1/4 cup of butter in cake batter. I've yet to see a pineapple upside down cake without butter or oil in the batter... The result was ok but the cake was seriously dense not having any oil.
Nicole L.
May 10, 2015
What a great idea to use pecans in this recipe. I love love love this cake and now I will love it even more! Thank you for sharing!
carole_nelson_brown
May 2, 2015
some times a bit of the toffee/sugar stuff stays in the pan when I invert it but I just scrape it all on to the hot cake and it all melts right in and once it's cooled, you don't notice. For the entire cake to not come out, the skillet might not have been seasoned enough yet?
Marcia
April 15, 2014
No butter/shortening in the cake..was this an omission or is it done without shortening?? Love using my skllet for upside down cakes.
Abra B.
November 30, 2013
I'd say it was the skillet. I was given one of those "pre-seasoned" ones and it took weeks of use before stuff stopped sticking.
Abra B.
November 30, 2013
Gosh, I've never had that happen. Was your cast iron pan well seasoned? Did you bake it too close to the bottom of the oven? And if you actually did make it with fresh pineapple, perhaps that affected the outcome somehow.
Anneliese B.
November 30, 2013
It was a brand new (but pre-seasoned) skillet... I was wondering if maybe I should have inverted it after 10 min instead of 30, as other recipes I've seen all say to do that. Did not use fresh pineapple.
Anneliese B.
November 30, 2013
Just made it (haven't tasted yet...) and all's well so far, except that when I inverted it onto a plate after cooling the recommended 30 min, a 1/4" layer of toffee remained in the skillet. It still looks great, but I'm wondering where I went wrong... Thoughts?
Anneliese B.
October 24, 2013
One more question (this will be my first upside-down experiment) - any tips for making this recipes with fresh pineapple?
Abra B.
October 11, 2013
You can certainly make it in a 10" skillet, it will just make for a thinner cake, and might require a few minutes less baking time.
megken
February 9, 2013
A few notes...
- I used 1/3 of the brown sugar/butter mix and found it ample.
- Had some sticking to the edges of the skillet - definitely loosen before flipping!
Otherwise, a good recipe!
- I used 1/3 of the brown sugar/butter mix and found it ample.
- Had some sticking to the edges of the skillet - definitely loosen before flipping!
Otherwise, a good recipe!
JenniferF
November 7, 2012
My cast iron skillets are all at our summer cottage so I tried this is a spring form -- oops! I'm losing some of the butter-brown sugar mix to the bottom of the oven. Hopefully, it'll still be okay!
carole_nelson_brown
July 15, 2012
Oh my, I just made it using peaches and peach puree in place of the pineapple and it has got to be one of the tastiest things I have ever made, thanks so much!!
Corena M.
April 8, 2012
I just made this to take to an Easter party later today. It's in the oven now and I can't wait to try it! I converted it to gluten free using Mama's Coconut Blend all purpose gluten free flour, and added a teaspoon of xanthan gum. I omitted the pecans for a friend who can't eat nuts, and added a little fresh chopped ginger and lime zest. I love using my cast iron skillet, and this is the first pineapple upside-down cake I've ever made! Thank you for the inspiration, and Happy Easter!
Abra B.
April 19, 2010
I think separating the eggs, adding pineapple juice to the cake batter, and the pecans are what sets this cake apart from the rest. And those old pans are magic too.
dymnyno
April 19, 2010
My mother was not a good cook, but she was a good baker...my birthday cake was always a pineapple upside down cake and I have the old skillet that she used.
Kayb
April 19, 2010
I love pineapple upside down cake, but would have never thought of the pecans -- what a great touch! My recipe is very similar, but it doesn't call for separating the eggs; I'll try that the next time I make it. And yes, the cast-iron skillet is essential.
See what other Food52ers are saying.