Pineapple Rum Upside Down Cake
The Pineapple and Rum Upside Down Cake is a marriage made in dessert heaven combining those two tropical favorites into one beautiful cake.
So I hear Pineapple Upside Down Cake is out of fashion; not popular, relegated to the annals of history as something from ‘back in the day.’
Well, guess I’m out of fashion because it’s one of my favorites. I haven’t had one in a very long time though but circumstances beyond my control made this meant to be.
My neighbor Casey who lives across the street had just been awarded an honor from Colorado Parks and Wildlife as their ‘Wildlife Officer of the Year.’ I
know he is mine; I like to kid but it’s true…I know more about the rules and regulations of hunting than any person who has never hunted and it’s all because of him.
He’s shared a few tales and because of him I’ve seen a live racoon, a dead badger, and a video of his family helping to release rescued bear cubs back into the wild.
There’s also been a herd of elk my eyes would have never spotted, and a real mounted deer with an automated head to help catch the bad guys hunting in all the wrong places!
I wanted to have a little celebration and have some neighbors over so I asked him what he would like me to make.
Of all things…Pineapple Upside Down Cake? Sure, I can do that! This post was old and so were the images so it was perfect; I got to update the photos of a dessert I love and we all had cake to share.
Not lying, Casey said it was the best Pineapple Upside Down Cake he had ever had…and here’s some reasons why.
What Makes This the Best Pineapple and Rum Upside Down Cake?
- The eggs are separated and the whites are whipped a bit; makes it lighter and a good balance to that richer than rich topping.
- The Rum. Honestly there is a bit of rum in the cake but it’s the rum in the buttery, gooey sauce on top that is really so perfect.
- I use fresh pineapple. Trust me, it is so worth it. It was a bit of a trial to get it right but use it if you can; if not it will still be a delicious cake!
Upside down cakes have been made for centuries in this country using cast iron skillets that were placed over a fire.
The practice of putting fruit and sugar in the bottom made for a simple preparation with the topping cooking at the same time as the cake.
Pineapple became a popular fruit for decorating these skillet cakes in the early 1900’s after James Dole’s engineer invented a machine to both core and cut pineapples into rings.
The addition of maraschino cherries was to simply add a boost of color.
The first mention of this cake was in 1925 in a Gold Medal Flour ad that featured a full page photo of Pineapple Upside Down Cake and described it as we still know it today.
A round cake with slices of pineapple, candied red cherries and a brown sugar/butter glaze. Researchers have discovered several references through the next decade, most notably the 1936 Sears and Roebuck catalog.
I’ve been making this cake for as long as I can remember and I won’t deny that for most of those years it included canned pineapple and a boxed cake mix.
Those conveniences are certainly what helped the cake gain notoriety during the 1960’s and 1970’s when women were leaving some of their traditional roles and demanding more ease in the kitchen.
Fast forward to today when many of us prefer to circumvent that ease and enjoy doing things ‘from scratch.’
From my experience, the extra effort is so worth it. Even peeling that pineapple was easy. I wasn’t concerned about the peeling; simply cut off the top and bottom and slice the outer skin off by starting at the top and and slicing downwards following the curve of the fruit.
My challenge was to figure out how I would remove the core without making a mess that would ruin the whole look.
To the rescue? My Grandma’s biscuit cutter! It has a piece that is removable that makes a center hole.
It can also be used for donuts so I removed that little piece and used it to core each slice…yes, I was pretty doggone pleased with the results!
Now I have to say I was OK with this method until my neighbor Sam suggested I try a gadget he had for peeling and slicing the pineapple.
I sort of like my quirky fix but the truth is that not everyone is going to have Grandma’s biscuit cutter so I thought it might be wise to take a peek.
Doggone it…this Pineapple Peeler/Corer was quick, easy, and made nice neat circles, something I certainly wasn’t getting and removed the core all at the same time! I succumbed and was happy I did and Sam even said I could keep my new favorite gadget (he just wants more cake!).
This recipe is so old, the card it was written on when I first decided to write it up was barely legible; I think it may have been my Grandmother Vaden’s writing, copying a recipe for me from one of her many cookbooks.
I most often remember baking and cooking with my Grandma Bathe, my Dad’s mom, but it was true then and I’m reminded of this fact today; my Grandma Bathe was the ‘pie’ Grandma and Grandmother Vaden was the ‘cake’ Grandma.
So if this was handed down from a Grandma of mine…well, Luda Vaden it must have been!
Am I am so single minded in my thinking that I no longer offer any surprises? I guess we are all creatures of some type of habit right?
So should not be a surprise that I added rum to this cake right? I mean really, how could I not? Pineapple. Brown Sugar. Butter. Don’t those just CRY out for Rum? I thought so too!
I’ve updated this time honored recipe to include some dark rum…oh baby was that a good idea!
Almost a hundred years of history; my own family history of half that time; pineapples from Hawaii (thank you for joining the Union and sending us pineapple), those bright maraschino cherries…what about all that is NOT American?
I hope you will dust off any notion that this is old or old fashioned. I prefer timeless or vintage; it is most definitely a cake that should not be forgotten. Come over and have a slice; you’ll see what I mean.
PIN IT! ‘Best Pineapple and Rum Upside Down Cake’
Pineapple and Rum Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
For the topping:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp dark rum
- Approximately 20 oz of sliced pineapple use fresh or canned
- Maraschino cherries
- 6-8 pecans
For the Cake:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs separated
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 Tbsp dark rum or substitute with pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees; position a rack in the center of the oven.Preheat oven to 350 degrees; position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Add the butter to a 9-inch-round baking pan. Place the pan inside of the pre-heated oven until melted, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and add the brown sugar and rum; stir until mixed well and even.
- Arrange the pineapple slices evenly in the pan; place a cherry in the center of each one and fill the center and any other open space with either additional pineapple pieces or pecans.
To make the cake:
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.
- Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until fluffy; scrape into a clean bowl.
- Using the same mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy; add the rum and vanilla extract and mix well..
- Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined.
- Using a spatula, fold in the egg whites until just mixed in.
- Pour the batter over the fruit in the cake pan and smooth to the edges.
- Bake for 40 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a serving plate over the pan and invert carefully allowing the cake to slide out of the pan.
- Serve warm or at room temperature; dollop with whipping cream if desired.
Love this recipe! Perfect mix of ooey-gooey-pineapply goodness, and yummy cake with a bit of texture. Had a ripe pineapple but couldn’t find Mom’s recipe (guessing it was Betty Crocker cookbook… but that and most seem to use cake mix, which I didn’t have…) Fond memories of Mom’s cakes, and great addition of the pecans – perfect finishing touch!
Made this yesterday and it is fantastic. I used fresh pineapple and Cup for Cup gluten free flour which may have affected the texture, but regardless it is gooey, boozy and delicious! It’s upside down pineapple cake and rum cake had a baby! Thank you for a delicious recipe 😊
I’m delighted it turned out for you with that substitution, thanks for letting me know Sam!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! So light and airy, a bit crunchy from the little bit of more well done cake, and the drizzle on top the pineapples delicious!!! I had some leftover caned pineapples and some rum on hand so I googled a Pineapple Upside Down Rum Cake and to be honest, I’m glad I stumbled across this recipe. I will definitely be keeping this recipe to use again for sure. Thanks for the share!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sarah. A lot of people consider pineapple upside down cake to be an old-fashioned cake but I have loved it ever since I was a kid and it’s still one of my very favorites.
Hello does this refer to plain flour would self raising flour ruin the recipr
Lauren you can use self rising flour, it is simply a combination of flour, leavening, and salt. Replace those three items together with an equal amount of self rising flour.
Thank you Barb for bringing back some memories of my Mum and her upside down cakes…I love bringing back the old recipe’s and adding the rum is your stroke of genius…Thanks, it’s a moody day – I have an Aunt’s birthday coming up and I’ll get busy. Would love an upside down orange cake from you with liqueur – I’ve tasted one at a bakery/cafe and can’t get it out of my mind and have been looking for a couple of years. If anyone has that – it would be you. ???
This cake seems to bring back memories for a lot of people and now I hope some newbies will try it and see how wonderful it is!
I don’t have any liqueur in this cake but it is a fantastic upside down orange cake. I would have added some if not showcasing a new cookbook from a friend. If you wanted to you could substitute some of the orange juice with an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier and/or add a bit of the same to the topping. Since blood oranges have such a short season simply substitute them with another orange if they are no longer available. Good luck…let me know if you make it!
https://creative-culinary.com/blood-orange-upside-down-cake/
Haven’t had this dish in years! Yours looks spectacular — you deserve an award for this. 🙂 Fun scrolling through the comments — some old friends there who I haven’t seen for ages. Anyway, good stuff! 🙂 Thanks.
Time again for you to make it too?
I ended up reading some of them too John; I sort of miss the days when people commented; honestly you’re my only friend on here for most posts and I appreciate that!
I want to try this pineapple up down cake with burbon. Do I follow this recipe and just replace rum for burbon?
Yes…do just that; should be great!
I am bravely going to try this for the first time on company this week. I have a 12 (as measured across the bottom) iron skillet. You mentioned that you increased the recipe by 1/2 for your 12 inch skillet. Wouldn’t you also have to increase the bake time on the recipe? If so, any idea how long?
Thanks for any clarification.
Hmm…I would start with 15 minutes Don and just test until a toothpick put in the center comes out clean. I don’t remember! Good luck. It’s old fashioned but it’s still mt favorite cake.
great cake! we finished it first day. I would like to make this substituting Granny Smith
apples. any suggestion on how to make them work. or a similar rum caramel recipe.
thanks for you site! it’s wonderful.
Now I’m craving a slice myself…and I’ve got the goods on hand so this snowy day might just see it happen in a bit!
I would suggest slicing the apples thinly and proceed with all other steps as listed. The pineapple doesn’t have to really cook but your Granny Smith apples will need to soften up, so keeping those slices on the thin side should help.If looking for another change? Try using bourbon with the apples, I think that would be divine!
Excellent pineapple upside down cake….light, moist and not too sweet! My cake looked almost like the one pictured, with the exception of the caramel topping. Mine didn’t seep into the cake and pool around the bottom as pictured. I’m wondering if you drizzled the cake with additional caramel to serve?
I didn’t Sadie; I just had some in the skillet and poured it on the cake. Not sure why but then I live at high altitude and sometimes things are just unexplainable here! So glad you enjoyed it; it’s probably my favorite cake.
I just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe! I found it on pinterest and thought it turned out delicious! And the friends I made it for devoured it as well. I definitely plan on making it again! If you’re curious, my post on it should be linked below
Thanks so much for letting me know Shoshanah; I know we sure love it!
this recipe is almost-exactly like the one i use and mine is from the *joy of cooking,* p. 661, (circa 1975 — no updated version[s] for me, please) … an amazing *old school* cookbook that still rocks out the goodies … anyway, i digress … i have never used fresh pineapple, but they are so *available* now — costco’s right down the road — that i’m going to have to try it …
also, a tip: i use my very old, well-seasoned, smooth-on-the-inside, cast iron skillet (OMGosh, does it ever work well!), about 10″ or maybe a bit more — the 3 boxes of already-canned tomatoes are in front of the cupboard where the skillet resides so i can’t really check the size — anyway, i have two round pizza pans, one fits atop my pressure canner rendering it useable for boiling-water-bath canning w/o ruining the delicate fiddlededee of the pressure canner lid, whilst the other is the exact same size as the ….. 10 inch skillet, thereby making it perfect to lay on top of the skillet while i veeerrryyy carefully turn out the baked cake on it … sometimes i have been known to use a large dinner plate, but my skillet is large and it does not always go well with my katty-wampus balancing act …. anyway, give the pizza pan idea a try next time, and i know there will be a next time b/c this is soooo good ….
take a look at this cookbook; it’s very cool, rolled biscuits, p. 632 — always high, light and fluffy — sorry for the ramble ;-))) …. darlene
ps … the *joy of cooking* ladies, the rombauer sisters, both deceased, don’t add rum TO the cake, they sprinkle rum (or brandy — so it says) on TOP of the cake and let it soak in ….
Oh I LOVE pineapple upside down cake!! YUMMMMM This one looks like a real winner 🙂
Thanks Addie. Um…I might have had to freeze a bunch of it so I would stop having it for breakfast. Just one of my very favorite.
I really must try and make an upside down cake 🙂
Yes you must! The most difficult part of this one? Flipping over a 12 inch cast iron skillet and a 15″ plate. Not for the faint of heart I’ll tell you that!
I love hearing about your recipe card, and how loved and faded it is! If pineapple upside-down is out of style…..wellllll people are JUST crazy!!! Your cake looks fantastic, love the addition of pecans:-) Yum, Hugs, Terra
Amen! I always laugh when some pompous person makes a statement like that. Some vintage foods I hope will never fade from our recollection.
Yay, I’m so glad you could join in! And thanks for sharing such an informative history (and tasty looking recipe) about pineapple upside-down cake for the Monthly Mingle!
You know you are welcome…and of course, it meant that I had my favorite on hand too. We all won!
Gracious, Barb! Call it old-school, vintage, whatever you want, but give me a slice now! Fun post!
I just call it good. 🙂 And, well…gone.
Timeless and vintage sounds good to me, as long as we’re talking about cake and not my age 🙂
You are a youngster. Hush.
I don’t think I’ve ever actually had this before! I don’t know why but I need to get on this ASAP.
Oh my gosh…then you have missed a treat. What I love about this recipe is that the cake is light and proportioned the way I like…I sort of consider it simply a holder of the wonderfulness of that pineapple business…it is ‘the bomb.’
This was my favorite childhood dessert. It’s been a long time since I’ve had it and I thank you for bringing it back into my life. I can see the rum being a great addition. 🙂
Mine was always a tossup. This or German chocolate cake…and I love them both still today; maybe that will have to be next!
Love this classic!! Yours looks amazing.
Thank you Katherine…just wish I had some help eating it; made a HUGE cake and I’ve still got a lot left. Time to freeze and surprise myself someday down the road huh? 🙂
I’m actually surprised that food and desserts are even labelled *old-fashioned.* In my way of thinking, if you like it, if your family/friends like it then it is timeless. Proof right there in your grandmother’s handwritten recipe card. She baked it, everyone liked it and the recipe was shared through the generations and in your case, obviously treasured.
Easy to see why.
Some youngster who knows nothing of tradition does that and then in 20 years they discover it and try to make it sound totally new. We just love it all along. 🙂
You know it’s funny, but the pineapple upsidedown cake was out of fashion for awhile. And it’s one of my favorite desserts. But I’ve seen it make a comeback here in the restaurants in Los Angeles. I think the classic favorites really never go out of style. I will definitely give this one a try.
I so agree with you; anyone who would call this old fashioned as if it’s not worthy has not had it! Vintage, classic…all those apply and I know my belly is happy I had a slice left this morning for breakfast with coffee. It’s true, I did that. 🙂
The words ‘or substitute’ should not have been uttered 😉 Rum it is!
I know…you’re so right! I should just have a disclaimer for all of my recipes. If there is liquid involved, find some alcohol to substitute; that’s a better use of the word!
My family is a big fan of a pineapple upside down cake, actually any upside down cake. I’m yet to try the cherry cake you baked for my blog but I think using rum here might make me try this one first. Heh. Rum surely is a fantastic addition. Great recipe and lovely pictures, Barb. 🙂
That cake was good…but this is my all time favorite upside down cake. I would make it first too. 🙂
Mouthwatering photos! I think the addition of rum suits the cake perfectly, what’s not to like? My grandmother always made the boxed version of this cake; it is one of the desserts that I associate with her and it makes me smile to see it so beautifully done here.
Thanks Holly…I love how food can elicit such strong memories; I could almost feel myself in my childhood home baking this cake for the first time by myself. Well, minus the rum. 🙂
Rum is an absolute must in a pineapple upside down cake! This looks fabulous!
Thanks Laura…it’s certainly a requierment for our from now on! Thanks for stopping by.
Delicious post Barb! I’ll bet spiced rum would be a wonderful addition too. How could you go wrong?
I’m also a fan of pineapple upside-down cake. In my mind, it has never gone out of style.
Someone else mentioned that too Renee; I’ve got some that a brand sent me and didn’t think of it; heard it’s just seasoned with sugar and vanilla so I’ll remember that next time (and save the good stuff for drinks!).
That looks perfect! I make one using a cast iron skillet and also one in a dutch oven while camping. I will definitely try yours with rum – bet it would be good with one of the spiced rums as well.
JW
I have a spiced rum that was sent to me but the fellow at the liquor store said it’s terrible. Starts with Captain? I also hear the spiced is really just vanilla and maybe sugar? I should have used it and will for baked good and save the good stuff for sipping; thanks for the idea.
Timeless and delicious, I don’t think a pineapple upside down cake could ever really go out of fashion it’s just so darn good, I love the rum, what a brilliant addition, Wish I could stop by for a slice, you did one of your Grandma’s proud.
I feel the same way but I read that somewhere recently…not that I believe all I read! For me food is not about trends at all; I think some of them are horrible and I love the heritage/vintage, time worn recipes…they bring with them such memories. I honestly don’t think kale chips will be doing that. 😉
Pineapple + Rum = Yum!
I love making vintage family recipes and get so frustrated by cooks who disparage old recipes. Funny that some of them in the next breath will act as though they’ve just made the discovery of a lifetime and are actually speaking of something that has been around for 50 or more years, fallen out of style, and they’re just re-discovering and believing it new. Sigh.
I say let’s bring back the classics and really celebrate them!
You know how I feel. Some recipes are important traditions that we need to share and pass down; I honestly don’t think Oreo stuffing is going to stand the test of time. 🙂
Who cares what is in fashion anyway. As long as it tastes yummy, I don’t care whether the recipe is 1, 30, or 1000 years old. This upside down cake looks delicious and … well, rum is involved … I see no reason why not to like it.
Hm, I can’t remember ever to have had an upside down cake.
My thoughts exactly and yummy this is. You should make one; they’re really quite easy and so good.
Love the idea of using the biscuit cutter to cut out the core. Looks scrumptious!
You know how it is when you’re determined right? Well I was and was also lucky it was sitting right next to the cutter cutter I was thinking of using that was too big. Score!
I read that too but seriously… I’m ready to head back to the 80s to get this cake. The addition of rum is even better.
I say give me this over an Oreo stuffed cookie any day, right? Where’s that time machine, I’m ready!