Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake made with blueberries, pineapple rings, and just a touch of brown sugar. It’s a really decorative yellow and blue color that will definitely impress your guests!
If you love decorative cakes like this, check out my gluten free chocolate carrot cake, or carrot cake with pineapple!
*This recipe has been updated to a newer version*
Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake is the perfect cake that’s also full of flavor and made from scratch. I love making this when I’m trying to cut back on calories, but still want something that satisfies that sweet tooth. Plus, it’s just down right beautiful to look at! You can also do this with other fruits, like peaches or cherries, to get some different colors in there. You could even add cranberries for the holidays! But I just love the contrast of the blue and purple berries against the yellow pineapple, and your guests will, too!
What are the ingredients for gluten free pineapple upside down cake?
These are the typical ingredients for pineapple upside down cake, just in case you wanted a shopping list!
- Pineapple
- Blueberries
- Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Butter
- Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
- Double Acting Baking Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk
- Cream of Tar Tar
- Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Eggs
How to make pineapple upside down cake from scratch?
When learning how to make pineapple upside down cake from scratch, it might seem a little bit more complicated then my usual recipe, but honestly it is worth the work.
- Whisk butter and brown sugar in a saucepan, pour into prepared cake pan and top with layers of pineapple and blueberries.
- Whisk together dry ingredients (except cream of tar tar), then in another bowl cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
- In another clean bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tar tar until eggs form stiff peaks.
- Add milk and flour mixture to butter gradually. Fold in egg whites delicately.
- Bake at 350F until it’s done!
That’s it! Learning how to make pineapple upside down cake is easier than you think it is. Trust me, if I can do it, so can you!
How long will pineapple upside down cake last?
Gluten free pineapple upside down cake will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, as long as you keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also use toothpicks to keep the plastic wrap from touching the pineapple, but honestly this recipe is lower calorie so it doesn’t have that much sugar with the fruit. I did not find that the plastic wrap was sticking.
Are you supposed to refrigerate pineapple upside down cake?
Yes, you should refrigerate pineapple upside down cake. Keep in mind that this recipe has a lot less sugar than your traditional pineapple upside down cake, so I wouldn’t leave it on the countertop over night. Another great thing to think about is that pineapple upside down cake tends to taste a lot better when it’s cold!
How long do you wait to flip a pineapple upside down cake?
You should wait for the cake to cool just enough so you can handle it without burning your hands, about 15-20 minutes. This keeps the fruit warm enough to let go of the pan, but cool enough that it’s easy for you. If you have trouble getting the cake to flip, run a butter knife carefully around the edge of the cake pan, taking care not to scratch the pan. This should help the cake flip more easily. Once you learn how to make pineapple upside down cake from scratch and get some practice in, it will be a breeze!
Can you substitute gluten free flour for regular flour in a recipe?
If you are using a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend, then you should be able to just sub the flours for each other in a recipe. Which technically means you could use regular flour for this recipe, if you’re not gluten free. But if you’re trying to convert a recipe you already have using a non-cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend, then you’re going to want to measure 140 grams of gluten free flour per cup of regular flour in the recipe. You also might want to consider going higher on any baking powder or baking soda slightly.
Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
For the Base
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 7 large pineapple rings
- 1/2 cup blueberries
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder, double acting
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 6 tbsp white sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp cream of tar tar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a round 9-inch cake pan and set aside.
- In a small saucepan melt butter. Whisk in brown sugar. Pour into cake pan. Place pineapple rings flat into the cake pan. Add blueberries in the middle and any open spots between the rings.
- In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for cake (flour, baking powder, spices) except for cream of tar tar.
- In a separate mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tar tar until stiff peaks appear. Slowly add half of the sugar to egg whites while still beating.
- In another mixing bowl, cream together butter, vanilla extract, and remaining sugar. Slowly add flour mixture and milk until everything is combined.
- Fold egg whites into batter, being careful not to over mix. Pour batter over pineapple slices and spread evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before placing a plate over cake pan and flipping over. If your cake gets stuck carefully run a butter knife around the edges to loosen it, then try flipping again.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is NOT a true low carb recipe. NO low carb recipe includes granulated sugar, # !. I know this because I am T2D, and have been researching what low carb is and is NOT for 16 years now. 20+ carbs FOR ONE SERVING of anything automatically takes it out of low carb status. That said, I do definitely concede that it does fall within GLUTEN FREE parameters. ANNNNND………………oh my lawd, it does look delicious! I AM going to make this, with some adaptations to make it sugar free and diabetic friendly. I sure have better figured out how to do that by now, lol!
Thank you for posting this. Looks beautiful in photo! Instructions a bit confusing. Appears the sugar should be added to dry mix…then mentions adding (parts of) sugar to egg whites (step 4) and, later, to liquid mix (step 5). Baking now…will let you know outcome.
Thank you so much. My husband is a 61 year’s young T1D and I can’t have sugar (keto) only salt, that he can’t have. A mouthful for sure, I love this recipe a lot!!