This Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake has a moist, fluffy sponge topped with juicy, fragrant pineapple chunks. The recipe comes together in one bowl and is refined sugar free too.
Upside down cakes might seem tricky to make, but it'll be quick and easy if you follow my tips and tricks!
- I recommend using tinned pineapple chunks.
- If you can only find tinned pineapple rings instead of pineapple chunks, I recommend cutting up the pineapple rings into smaller pieces.
No, I don't recommend using fresh pineapple, because the juices from the fresh pineapple will come out whilst cooking and the excess liquid makes it difficult for the cake to bake properly.
No, I also don't recommend using frozen pineapple, as it has the same problem as fresh pineapple - the juices from the pineapple will come out whilst cooking and the excess liquid makes it difficult for the cake to bake properly.
Tips for making this Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- It's best to use a springform baking tin to make this cake. I used a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin.
- Cover both the bottom and the sides of the tin with baking paper, to prevent the sides of the cake from getting burnt.
- Sprinkling sugar before laying out the pineapple chunks is necessary as it improves the overall taste of the cake, as otherwise it might not be sweet enough due to the acidity of the pineapples.
- Cut the pineapple chunks into smaller pieces if necessary, to fit them all evenly across the bottom of the baking tin.
- Make sure that all the pineapple chunks are completely covered up by the cake batter before baking.
- If you are using a springform baking tin, place it onto a separate baking tray (or a larger square baking tin) before putting in the oven, because juice may leak out from the bottom of the baking tin as the pineapples cook, which will make a mess in your oven!
- Once out the oven, leave the cake to cool in the tin.
- Once the cake is completely cool, turn it out onto a plate or cake stand - place the plate or cake stand upside down on top of the baking tin, and then quickly flip it over.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Prepare a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin lined with greased baking paper.
Tip: Make sure that the baking paper is covering both the bottom and the sides of the tin, to prevent the sides of the cake from getting burnt.
- Evenly sprinkle the coconut sugar across the bottom of the tin.
- Lay out the pineapple chunks along the bottom of the baking tin.
Tip: Cut them into smaller pieces if necessary, to fit them all evenly across the bottom of the baking tin.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the cake batter in a mixing bowl.
Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based milk!
- Transfer the batter into the baking tin.
Tip: Make sure that all the pineapple chunks are completely covered up by the cake batter.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Tip: If you are using a springform baking tin, make sure to place it onto a separate baking tray (or a larger square baking tin) before putting in the oven, because juice may leak out from the bottom of the baking tin as the pineapples cook, which will make a mess in your oven!
- Once out the oven, leave the cake to cool in the tin.
- Once the cake is completely cool, turn it out onto a plate or cake stand - place the plate or cake stand upside down on top of the baking tin, and then quickly flip it over.
Substitutions you can make to this recipe
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you're not gluten-free.
- You can replace the coconut sugar with regular cane sugar.
Serving suggestions
- Coconut whipped cream.
- Vanilla ice cream.
- Custard - this custard powder is my favourite as it's made with just few simple ingredients and it's vegan, gluten-free and completely free from sugar.
How long does this cake keep for?
It tastes best eaten on the day it's made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
More gluten-free vegan cake recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Matcha Strawberry Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Orange Cake
- Strawberry Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Lemon Yogurt Cake
- Ginger Cake
- Cherry Cake
- Matcha Cake
- Jam Marble Cake
- Olive Oil Yogurt 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 #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Gluten-Free Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
For the pineapple:
- 400 g (14 oz) tin of pineapple chunks , drained *
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar ** (or sub normal sugar)
For the cake:
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice ***
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch 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 powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Instructions
For the pineapple:
- Prepare a 7 inch/18 cm springform baking tin lined with greased baking paper. Make sure that the baking paper is covering both the bottom and the sides of the tin, to prevent the sides of the cake from getting burnt.
- Evenly sprinkle the coconut sugar across the bottom of the tin.
- Lay out the pineapple chunks along the bottom of the baking tin. Cut the pineapple chunks into smaller pieces if necessary, to fit them all evenly across the bottom of the baking tin.
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- 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 pieces are completely covered by the cake batter.
- If you are using a springform baking tin, place it onto a separate baking tray (or a larger square baking tin) before putting in the oven, because juice may leak out from the bottom of the baking tin as the pineapples cook, which will make a mess in your oven!
- Bake in oven for around 30 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Once out the oven, leave the cake to cool in the tin.
- Once the cake is 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.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog - thank you.
Daniel Yeates
Hi, my girlfriend is gluten free, and also has a nut and egg allergy. Would it be a problem to leave out the crushed almonds? Do they offer anything other than taste? Many thanks
Rhian Williams
You can use ground sunflower seeds, a fifth of the amount coconut flour or buckwheat flour!
Ruth Parham
Really happy to have found your blog! We have both coeliac and dairy-free requirements in our house, and I'm always having to adapt recipes to fit one or the other. Very few people seem to combine the two in one place, so thank you Rhian and I'm looking forward to trying out lots of your recipes.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!!
Melané Fahner-Botha
Excellent recipe with delicious result! I made a little syrup that I poured on the bottom and laid the pineapple in in the classic way and it was divine. Next time I plan to add some lime zest and a bit of lime juice to brighten the taste but overall my omni-gluten -eating guests were flabbergasted to hear they were being compliant without surrendering taste and fluff😁. Thanks Rhian!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!!
Stacey
Made this cake tonight as a quick pud. It was amazing! I had less ground almonds than the recipe states, so I just topped it up with oat flour, as I guessed the absorption would be similar to that of almonds.
The result was amazing! A super moist yet fluffy cake. It rose well. I added a smidgen of xanthan gum to strengthen the crumb. I also subbed the lemon juice with apple cider vinegar, as I didn’t have any lemons today (shipping delivery tomorrow 😉)
We had it with custard and it was so good. There’s plenty leftover to have tomorrow with our picnic. Can’t wait to have it again but with some cocoa powder added to the mix!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your substitutions too.
Anne
Had a fresh pineapple, so tried this recipe. Fluffy and delicious. Thanks so much.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!