Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is baked to golden perfection in a cast iron skillet, with caramelized pineapple rings and cherries atop a moist, buttery cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, pineapple

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Resting time 5

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 488kcal

Author Sara Garska

Cost $10

Equipment

hand or stand mixer
Mixing bowls
Oven proof 9 or 10 inch skillet

Ingredients

4 eggs separated
½ cup butter plus 1 TB
1 cup light brown sugar
1 can pineapple slices
10 maraschino cherries cut in half
½ cup pecans chopped (optional)
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
Whipped cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Melt ½ cup butter over low heat in 9 or10” heavy bottomed oven safe skillet.
Remove from heat and sprinkle brown sugar over the butter.
Place pineapple slices over brown sugar in the skillet.
Place cherry pieces in and around the pineapple slices.
If using, sprinkle pecan pieces over fruit.
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
Add granulated sugar to egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.
In small bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are thick and yellow.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg yolks, flour, salt, and baking soda to the egg whites.
Fold in one Tablespoon of melted butter and the almond extract.
Gently spread the cake batter on top of the pineapple slices in the skillet.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the cake surface springs back when lightly touched.
Remove pan from oven and run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the sides of the cake.
Allow the cake to sit for 5 minutes in pan, then carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate.
Best served warm, with whipped cream on the side.

Notes

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only.

Prep Tips:

Drain the Fruit First - I recommend draining the pineapple and maraschino cherries and/or patting them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. The brown sugar and butter create plenty of liquid.
Nuts - You can add half a cup of chopped pecans over the cherries and pineapple if you want. I didn’t since most of my family doesn’t like nuts in their cake.
To Remove the Cake from the Pan - After you remove the cake from the oven, immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake. Then after about five minutes, carefully turn the cake over onto a serving plate. Don’t let the cake cool in the skillet or pan—the sugar will harden and stick to the pan.
Shortcut Recipe - This recipe uses a homemade cake batter. You can also use a prepared yellow cake mix instead. This will probably make more batter than you need for the skillet method. If you use a cake mix, I’d use the standard sizes on the cake mix directions.

Nutrition