Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Why do I love this Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake? It's:

• super easy to make
• fragrantly fruity
• just as delicious as the traditional version!

Inspired by this Fig Upside Down Cake and this Apple Upside Down Cake, I decided to make a more traditional version this time, and went with pineapple.

The pineapple adds such a deliciously tangy, tropical, nectar-like sweetness, which really compliments the neutral, vanilla flavour of the sponge. Although the traditional version uses a caramel glaze to sweeten the pineapple, I felt that the oven sweetens the natural sugars in the pineapple enough, and didn't think there was any need for a caramel sauce.

You can use drained tinned pineapple if you like, or fresh pineapple. If using fresh pineapple, make sure to peel it, core it, slice it and then chop it into smaller pieces.

Instead of glacé cherries, I went for pomegranate arils, as they similarly add a wonderful pop of colour, and I love their sweet, fragrant flavour and juicy texture.

The sponge for this Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake is made using my go-to sponge cake recipe, which requires just one bowl and familiar ingredients, is super easy to make and versatile too. It's moist and fluffy, and honestly undetectably vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free.

I hope you'll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake! For more upside down cakes, check out my:

• Fig Upside Down Cake
• Salted Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Helpful tools to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake:

glass mixing bowl

measuring jug

18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin

baking paper

Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake is super easy to make, fragrantly fruity, and just as delicious as the traditional version!

4.43 from 19 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free pineapple upside down cake, vegan pineapple upside down cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 336kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ small pineapple, peeled and cut into thin slices and roughly chopped or 400g (14oz) tinned pineapple, drained and roughly chopped
• ▢ 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• ▢ 200 ml (⅘) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• ▢ Juice of ½ lemon
• ▢ 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds* (almond meal)
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• ▢ 2 heaped teaspoons baking power (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

To decorate (optional):

• ▢ Pomegranate arils

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Lay out the pineapple slices along the bottom of a greased baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 7inch/18cm springform baking tin)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
• Transfer the mixture into the baking tin, making sure all the pineapple slices are completely covered by the batter
• Bake in oven for around 30 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Once out the oven, leave to cool in the tin and once completely cool, turn out onto a plate or cake stand by placing the plate or cake stand upside down on top of the baking tin then quickly flip it over
• Decorate with pomegranate arils, if desired
• Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 336

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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