Tropical Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Pineapple upside-down cake is a favorite across the world, but we wanted to put a real island spin on it – and boy, is it amazing! Knowing that the crunchy topping is the best part, we’ve doubled the sugar and butter – making it a gooey, yummy treat everyone should enjoy….

Yes, we used a cake mix! One of the beauties of this particular recipe is that it is so easy and incredible to boot! Check out this wonderful homemade cake recipe.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Topping

• 1 ½ sticks of butter
• ¾ cups brown sugar, packed
• 16 ounces pineapple, cut into 1” x 1” x 1/2” cubes – or substitute 1 can pineapple slices in unsweetened pineapple juice
  HINT: Use canned juice for cake mix – and if necessary, add enough water to measure 1 cup
• 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 cup freshly grated or packaged coconut

Cake

• 1 package white or yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup coconut oil or macadamia oil (you can substitute vegetable oil, but why?)
• 1 cup pineapple or guava juice (can be the drained juice from canned pineapple)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° (325° for dark pans).
2. Butter the sides of a 9 x 13 pan.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and distribute across the bottom of the pan.
4. Place the pan in oven for approximately 10 minutes or until melted. Watch carefully so that it does not burn.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle brown sugar evenly inside the pan. Mix butter and brown sugar thoroughly with a fork. The mixture should be slightly runny. Use the fork to spread the mixture out evenly.
6. Place the pineapple along the bottom. Evenly sprinkle macadamia nuts. Now sprinkle coconut on top and press lightly into the sugar mixture.
7. Pour cake mix into a mixing bowl. Add beaten eggs, pineapple or guava juice, and oil. With an electric mixer, place on high and beat until fluffy.
8. Pour cake batter into the pan. Spread out evenly using a spatula. Place in the oven.
9. Bake as directed on the package (usually around 30 – 40 minutes).
10. Remove cake from the oven. Run a butter knife around the edge to loosen. Let it sit for 5 minutes (no more).
11. Place a serving plate that is wider than the dimensions of the pan over the pan and flip the cake. Leave the pan for just a moment to be sure that it has time to separate from the pan.
12. Lift off the pan. HINT: When you don’t have a big enough plate, cutting boards work nicely.
13. Serve hot or cold.
14. Store covered in a dry place or in the fridge.