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:
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
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
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!