A true retro classic, this Sourdough Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is moist and soft with a brown sugar caramel pineapple and cherry topping that soaks into a buttery yellow cake. This cake will make you wonder why anyone bothers with frosting at all!
This recipe was first published in 2019 and has since been updated with new photos, step-by-step instructions and tips for success.
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All about upside down cakes
I love upside down cakes because of their simplicity. A super easy cake batter is baked on top of a brown sugar caramel and fruit arranged in a decorative pattern. After baking, the cake is flipped and this becomes a fruity, sugary topping that soaks the cake in even more flavor.
The topping is crucial for upside down cakes, and I’ve improved mine since first creating this recipe. I use a lot of juice in the caramel which intensifies the pineapple flavor in this cake even more. The topping does need to cook down a little longer when compared with other recipes, but you’ll see that the effort is totally worth it when you flip your cake and see the shiny, gooey caramel topping. Make sure you take the time to thicken your topping or your cake may overflow in the oven.
Holy hell this was incredible! And the cardamom?? My new favorite secret ingredient! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe for one of my very favorite desserts, will 1000% be using it again!
- Ashley
If you like this recipe, try my Sourdough Orange Upside Down Cake recipe or the Pina Colada Upside Down Cake variation with pineapples and coconut from my cookbook, Sourdough Every Day.
Why I Love this Recipe
- Mixed by hand, no stand mixer required!
- Nostalgic recipe with a sourdough twist.
- Great way to use up sourdough discard.
- No frosting or decorating needed.
- Fluffy yellow cake baked on top of a flavorful caramel topping.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All-purpose flour: the low protein content adds structure while keeping this cake soft and tender, don’t substitute bread flour or whole wheat or your cake will turn out dense and rubbery.
Brown sugar: brown sugar makes a stress free caramel that isn't prone to seizing, feel free to substitute with granulated sugar if you don’t have any on hand.
Canned pineapple: use pineapples in juice not syrup, you’ll be using the juice for the recipe and syrup has too much added sugar. You can use fresh pineapple, but we prefer canned in our house.
Maraschino cherries: it’s not pineapple upside down cake in our house without cherries, if you don’t like cherries feel free to leave them out.
Bourbon/Dark Rum: adds a lot of richness to the topping, if you don’t want to use alcohol feel free to leave this out of the topping
Sourdough discard: if you don’t have any discard feel free to use active sourdough starter or add 56 grams of water and 56 grams of all-purpose flour to the recipe.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
My secret ingredient
This Sourdough Pineapple Upside Down Cake features a delightful twist beyond the addition of sourdough discard—a secret ingredient that elevates its flavor: cardamom! Cardamom enhances the buttery, creamy notes of the cake, adding a warm, aromatic touch. While I prefer using freshly ground cardamom from pods for the best flavor, pre-ground cardamom works wonderfully too. If you can, grab some before baking—it’s worth it! If cardamom isn’t in your pantry, don’t worry your cake will still be delicious.
Baking with sourdough discard
Sourdough discard adds a great tangy flavor and additional moisture to this sourdough cake. That little bit of acidity cuts through the rich decadence of this cake. You can bake with your discard directly from the fridge without feeding it, since you are not using it to make bread. If you’re using sourdough that’s been in the fridge for weeks it will add more acidity to your cake, which you won’t get when using a freshly fed starter. Both will work for this recipe but you’ll get different results.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Pineapple Upside Down Cake
STEP 1: Prepare the topping
Make the brown-sugar caramel. Pour the caramel into a cake pan lined with parchment paper. Nestle the fruit into the topping and arrange it into a decorative pattern.
STEP 2: Make the batter
Whisk the dry ingredients together. Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients into the creamed butter. Fold the dry ingredients in.
STEP 3: Bake
Pour the batter gently over the topping. Bake the cake at 325 F for 50 to 60 minutes.
Baker's Tips
- Weigh your ingredients. Measuring with a scale is more accurate than using cups and tablespoons.
- You can use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter for this recipe. If you don't have a sourdough starter, just add 56 grams of flour and 56 grams of water into your cake batter.
- Don't mix your batter too aggressively, this creates too much gluten and will make your cake rubbery.
- Don't let the cake cool in the pan, this will cause the caramel to harden and your cake may get stuck.
Recipe FAQs
You may have overworked your batter, make sure you fold your flour in gently and stir just until all the flour is hydrated.
Your baking powder may be past its prime! Baking powder has a shelf-life and can lose its leavening abilities. If you're not sure, combine a little bit of baking powder and vinegar, if the mixture fizzes then it's still good to use in your recipe.
Let your cake cool for 10 minutes to let it set, however, do not let your cake cool in the pan or the topping will solidify and your cake will get stuck to your pan. To prevent your cake from sticking, use a good-quality, non-stick cake pan.
If you're still nervous, line the bottom of your pan with a circle of parchment paper to ensure your topping or cake doesn't stick.
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Sourdough Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Equipment
- 10-inch round cake pan don’t use a smaller cake pan or your caramel may overflow as it bakes
- small saucepan
- stand mixer or hand mixer you’ll need an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugars to aerate your batter
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Ingredients
Topping
- 150 grams brown sugar
- 143 grams pineapple juice or whatever is left after measuring out 75 grams for your batter
- 28 grams unsalted butter
- 56 grams Bourbon optional
Batter
- 150 grams all-purpose flour
- 7 grams baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 cardamom pods about ½ teaspoon ground
- 84 grams unsalted butter softened
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- 2 eggs large
- 4 grams vanilla extract
- 75 grams pineapple juice
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Make the topping: Combine the brown sugar and pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Stir and cook over medium heat. Turn the heat down and bring to a simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes (make sure the mixture has thickened or your batter may overflow as it bakes). Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in the butter and Bourbon, until fully incorporated.
- Assemble the topping: Pour the caramel into the cake pan and nestle the fruits in. Arrange 7 pineapple slices on the bottom of the pan, cut 3 of the slices in half and arrange them around the sides of the pan. Dot the cherries around the pan.
- Make the batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer with beater attachments (or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment), cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the discard, eggs, pineapple juice and vanilla into the creamed butter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a third at a time, waiting until all of the flour has been hydrated before folding the remainder in. Don’t over mix or your cake may turn out dense and rubbery.
- Bake: Pour the batter gently into the prepared cake pan, trying your best not to disturb your topping. Bake for 50 to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs.
- Serve: Set the baked cake on a wire rack and let the cake cool for 5 minutes. Place your serving platter over the baked cake and quickly turn the pan over. Carefully lift the cake pan off. Place fruit that’s stuck on your pan back to your cake.
- Enjoy and store: This cake is excellent warm or cold. Store any leftover slices in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- When in doubt, use weight over volume measurements
- Use canned pineapples in juice not syrup
- Drain pineapple slices, but save pineapple juice, you’ll be using all of it for this recipe
- Use a 10-inch cake pan for this cake, do not use a smaller baking vessel or the sugary topping may overflow as your cake bakes
- You’ll need an electric mixer for this recipe to cream the butter and sugar together, this aerates the cake and makes it lighter and softer
- To use cardamom pods, crush the outer shell, gather the seeds and grind them using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder
- Don’t overmix your batter or your cake may turn out dense and rubbery
- Don’t be afraid to put any fruit that gets stuck on your pan back on your cake
- Do not let your cake cool completely in the pan or it will get stuck
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Karin says
Wonderful recipe! And thank you for the US conversion button.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy you loved it!
Lisa says
This sourdough pineapple upside down cake was absolutely delicious. I served it to six guests and they all loved it.
I have never used cardamon and did not have any so I omitted it and the bourbon. I can't eat maraschino cherries, so I left those out also. I found the amount of pineapple juice with the brown sugar was way too much and had to simmer for about an hour. Next time I will half the juice. But once again, we all loved the cake.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So thrilled that you loved the recipe! Glad you were able to make the recipe work even with the substitutions!
Ashley says
Holy hell this was incredible! And the cardamom?? My new favorite secret ingredient! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe for one of my very favorite desserts, will 1000% be using it again!
Anessa says
This cake was SO YUMMY! First time making something with sourdough discard and I’ll definitely do it again. And on the cardamom - TRUST. Officially my favorite pineapple upside down cake recipe.
Make It Dough says
Yay! I'm so happy to hear you love this recipe!
Esther says
2 teaspoons of cardamom? I’m going to trust you here...🤞
Make It Dough says
Trust!!!
Sue says
Can you offer the recipes in cups/teaspoons vs grams?
Make It Dough says
I usually only use a scale when I create my recipes as it is more accurate!
Pauline Leahy says
For the upside down pineapple cake does the sourdough starter need to be active.
Make It Dough says
No, the starter can be unfed from the fridge!