AIP Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Paleo, Gluten-Free, Vegan)
This AIP pineapple upside-down cake is made with Beth Blends grain-free flour blend. It's moist, indulgent, and very easy to make. Plus you can make it as a whole cake or single-serve.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pineapple cake, pineapple upside down cake
Combine the flour and salt (dry ingredients) in one bowl. Combine the next 4 ingredients (wet ingredients) in another bowl.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient bowl and stir with a spatula, mixer, or whisk until well-combined. A mixer will of course get it the smoothest. Set aside.
Make the caramel sauce by mixing 1/3 cup melted coconut oil with 1/3 cup coconut sugar. Pour the sauce into the bottom of a 9 inch round glass pie dish.
Top the caramel sauce with one layer of pineapple rings distributed evenly to cover the bottom. Place one cherry in the middle of each ring.
Pour the cake batter/mixture over the top of the fruit (it will be pretty thick). Gently press it down and distribute it evenly in the dish using a spatula.
Bake on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. *You will likely need to cover it with foil starting about 20 minutes into baking as it tends to brown easily. It will be pretty brown when it's done- this is completely fine and won't hurt the flavor of the cake.
Allow it to cool for at least 10-15 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of the cake to be sure it's free from the sides of the dish.
Place a plate upside-down over the top of the pie dish. Hold the plate securely against the pie dish as you flip the cake over. Once it's flipped, tap on the bottom of the dish a few times to help the cake come free- it should pretty easily come out onto the plate.
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Notes
*Maraschino cherries are of course typically used for pineapple upside-down cake but since this recipe is AIP, I went with frozen dark cherries since they have no added sugars or dyes and they're easily accessible. If you prefer to use fresh cherries, that's fine too- just be sure to remove the pits.*For the pineapple, I just used canned for sake of ease but also for the pineapple juice which is needed for the recipe. You can use fresh but you'll need to buy or make pineapple juice as well.*Make sure the maple syrup is not cold as it tends to make the coconut oil clump up when you go to mix the cake batter. If you store it in the fridge, just heat it in the microwave for about 15 seconds to warm it up a bit.*Single-Serve Pineapple Upside Down Cake:
Combine the flour and salt (dry ingredients) in one bowl. Combine the next 4 ingredients (wet ingredients)in another bowl.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient bowl and stir until well-combined. Set aside.
Make the caramel sauce by mixing the coconut sugar and coconut oil. Pour it into a ramekin or other small oven-safe dish.
Place the pineapple ring on top of the caramel sauce and place the cherry in the middle of the pineapple ring.
Pour the cake mixture on top of the fruit and gently press it down distributing it evenly.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. It will be fairly browned on top.
Allow it to cool for at least 5-10 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of the cake to be sure it's free from the sides of the dish.
Place a small plate upside-down over the top of the ramekin. Hold the plate securely against the ramekin as you flip it over. Once it's flipped, tap on the bottom of the dish a few times to help the cake come free- it should pretty come out onto the plate pretty easily.