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This healthy pineapple upside down cake is a gorgeous, naturally sweetened dessert made with juicy pineapple, organic cherries, maple syrup, gluten-free flour, coconut milk, and Mama Z’s Christmas Cookie Blend.

Pineapple is rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and bromelain, an enzyme complex studied for inflammation, immune support, digestion, and cancer-fighting activity in laboratory and animal research.

It’s simple enough for a weekend treat and beautiful enough for holidays, dinner parties, birthdays, or any family celebration where you want a cleaner dessert without refined sugar.

This gorgeous cake is a show-stopper! My Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe features a rich base with sticky-sweet syrup and juicy pineapples. You’d never guess that this dessert doesn’t contain refined sugar.

The best part? It’s deceivingly simple to make. Whether you serve this treat at a dinner party or jazz up a holiday, it’s sure to be a hit!

Benefits of Pineapple

Pineapples are one of my favorite fruits. They remind me of warm weather and relaxation, and I love growing my own in my deck garden.

Yes, we grow pineapples in Georgia. They spend 9 months outdoors in the deck garden and 3 months indoors in the sunroom. We joke that we have a pineapple farm because we have anywhere from 8 to 10, and there’s always at least a couple producing fruit in any year.

We love to use pineapples in many recipes, and fresh is always better. If you can’t get fresh pineapple, organic canned pineapple can work in a pinch, but we prefer to use fresh pineapples whenever possible.

This delicious tropical treat packs a huge punch! Here are just a few of the many benefits you can experience.

Full of Antioxidants

Inflammation is quite the buzzword, and for a good reason! Free radicals wreak havoc on the body, causing oxidative stress. This stress can lead to aches, pains, and even chronic illnesses.

Pineapple contains vitamin C, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and bromelain, all of which help explain why researchers continue to study pineapple for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits (1). Put simply, pineapple is one more example of how God packed plant foods with compounds that help the body function the way He designed it to function.

Application: Enjoy pineapple fresh whenever possible, and use recipes like this cake as a cleaner celebration option. Dessert is still dessert, but when you build it with real fruit and better ingredients, you’re making a wiser swap.

Boosts Immunity

When “bugs” hit, white blood cells come to the rescue! A randomized study in school children found that canned pineapple consumption increased granulocyte production, an important immune marker (2).

That’s exciting because pineapple also gives you vitamin C, and vitamin C plays an important role in immune defense, antioxidant protection, and tissue repair (3). When you consider that reducing excess inflammation also supports the immune system, pineapple is one stellar treat (4)!

Fights Cancer

Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme complex that has been studied for cancer-fighting activity. Laboratory and animal research shows that bromelain can inhibit cancer cell growth, trigger apoptosis, reduce invasion, and interfere with tumor-promoting inflammatory pathways (5).

This is important: most bromelain cancer research is preclinical, meaning it has not been proven as a stand-alone cancer treatment in people. But the research is still powerful and supports what we teach all the time: curating your diet to include delicious anti-cancer foods is a great way to take advantage of God’s medicinal gifts.

Reality check: One slice of cake is not a cancer protocol. But a lifestyle filled with bioactive-rich foods, prayer, movement, sleep, stress relief, and wise toxic-burden reduction is a beautiful way to steward the body God gave you.

Ingredient 101

My Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe includes an assortment of nourishing ingredients. All of these elements are easy to find. You may already have some in your pantry! Here’s what you need to add to your shopping list.

Grass-Fed Organic Sea-Salted Butter: In years past, diet culture eschewed butter in favor of margarine. This is the worst swap a person could make if the margarine contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fats are strongly linked to cardiovascular risk, so we avoid them in our home (6). In moderation, butter is a traditional fat that makes any baked good taste great!

Grade A Dark Amber Maple Syrup, Organic: Maple syrup creates a sticky topping that soaks into the cake. Instead of synthetic syrup, we recommend using Grade A Dark amber organic maple syrup, or what was previously called Grade C maple syrup. It tastes great and is many chefs’ syrup of choice!

If local, organic food is available, I’ll always choose it. Plus, it’s minimally processed, which is always a bonus.

Organic Pineapple Slices: This ingredient offers several options. You can use fresh or canned pineapple rings. If purchasing canned variations, get organic pineapple in 100% juice, not syrup. I can’t emphasize this enough—fresh is always best, and you can make your own organic pineapple slices by cutting off the skin, coring it with the pineapple coring tool, and slicing circles 1/2-1 inch thick, depending on your preferences.

Pro Tip: Blot any excess liquid from the pineapple slices. Wet pineapple rings can cause the cake to overflow or the topping to seep over the sides while inverted.

Organic Cherries: Cherries add a gorgeous pop of color and a lot of juiciness! My favorite cherries are fresh, organic Bing or Rainier because they’re the sweetest. Cherries are also rich in polyphenols, and research reviews suggest cherry consumption can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation (7).

If cherries are out of season, you can use unsweetened, dried varieties. If going this route, soak your cherries in maple syrup overnight. This step plumps them up.

Another great option is to use organic, frozen cherries, which are handy when quality fresh cherries aren’t available in your area. They hold color well.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: A high-quality gluten-free flour blend makes baking easy as pie (pun intended). I recommend using a cup-for-cup blend because it’s specially formulated for baked goods. Some brands require you to add ingredients you might not be comfortable with, so check your label!

Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: Traditional table salt undergoes a rigorous harvesting process that eliminates necessary nutrients. I recommend using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested. This leaves the good stuff intact! Plus, it tastes incredible and adds a gourmet flair to any recipe. You can also use pink Himalayan salt.

Christmas Cookie Blend: Coconut sugar is a staple in my pantry. I use it to make Natural Confectioners’ Sugar and my Christmas Cookie Blend. To make this baking blend, blend 6 ounces of organic maple sugar, 11-16 ounces of organic date sugar depending on the size of the container available, and 16 ounces of organic coconut sugar. Your mixture should be the texture of powdered sugar, making it perfect for any baked good.

Organic Full-Fat Unsweetened Coconut Milk: To keep this recipe dairy-free, we use organic, canned coconut milk, and my first choice is Native Forest, unsweetened organic coconut milk – classic. This thick, creamy liquid makes our cake layer decadent, so when using it in this recipe, make sure it’s homogenous, which means you might need to stir the canned milk to mix it thoroughly. When purchasing coconut milk, be sure to grab a kind labeled “unsweetened.” You wouldn’t believe the sugar hiding in other varieties!

Also, almond milk can be a great option if you prefer. My first choice there is Califia Farms unsweetened vanilla or homemade almond milk.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

This cake comes together quickly and is perfect for busy days. Why? Because you don’t have to decorate it! It comes with a built-in layer of topping. I usually make this in a 9×13 pan, in which case you’d double the recipe before, but a single batch of this cake fits well in a 9×2 round pie pan.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Author Mama Z

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Servings

2x4x6x

Ingredients

Topping

• ¼ cup grass-fed organic sea-salted butter melted OR ¼ cup coconut oil, extra-virgin AND unrefined AND ⅛ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
• ½ cup Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic
• 8-10 organic pineapple slices, fresh OR canned
• 15-20 organic cherries, fresh, frozen, OR dried*

Cake

• 1½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
• 6 tablespoons grass-fed organic sea-salted butter, softened
• ½ cup Christmas Cookie Blend OR Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic
• 2 large pasture-raised organic egg whites, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup vegan sour cream OR soy-free Vegenaise OR your preferred avocado oil OR grapeseed oil vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon organic pure vanilla extract OR Homemade Vanilla Extract
• ⅓ cup organic unsweetened almond OR coconut milk beverage, room temperature

Supplies

• 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan
• Mixing bowls
• Stand mixer OR handheld mixer
• Serving tray OR cake stand (Because I’m making the cake ahead of time, I flip it over onto parchment paper, wash and dry the baking pan, spray it with unrefined (non propellant) coconut oil, avocado oil OR olive oil cooking spray, and invert it to use as a stand.)

Instructions

 

For the topping:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the melted butter into your chosen pan. Pour the maple syrup evenly over the butter.
• Blot any excess liquid off the pineapple slices. Arrange the cherries and pineapple over the butter mixture. Place the topping in the fridge to solidify while you make the cake batter.

For the cake:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
• Using a hand-held mixer or your stand mixer’s paddle attachment, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the Christmas Cookie Blend and cream together. Scrape down the sides as needed. Turn the mixer to high speed, beat in the egg whites, then the sour cream and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with coconut milk until the mixture is just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Remove the topping from the fridge and spread the cake batter evenly over the top.
• Bake uncovered for 23 minutes, then remove from the oven and place parchment paper over and underneath the dish or set a baking pan over the top. Bake for 20-25 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert on a serving tray or, invert onto sprayed parchment paper (longer than your baking pan) so the cake is right side up. Wash and re-spray your baking pan, then transfer the cake into the pan, continuing with the pineapples facing up. Carefully slide the parchment paper out of the baking pan. Allow to cool completely before serving. Leftovers will stay good for 3-7 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

Notes

*If using dried cherries, soak in maple syrup overnight.

Step One: Make the Topping

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the melted butter into your chosen pan. Pour the maple syrup evenly over the butter.

Step Two: Arrange the Fruit

Blot any excess liquid off the pineapple slices. Arrange the cherries and pineapple over the butter mixture. Place the topping in the fridge to solidify while you make the cake batter.

Step Three: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

Step Four: Add Wet Ingredients

Using a hand-held mixer or your stand mixer’s paddle attachment, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the Christmas cookie blend and cream together. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Turn the mixer to high speed, beat in the egg whites, then the vegan sour cream or vegan mayonnaise, and vanilla.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with coconut milk until the mixture is just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick.

Step Five: Bake the Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Bake uncovered for 23 minutes, then remove from the oven and place parchment paper over and underneath the dish or set a baking pan over the top.

Bake for 20-25 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step Six: Serve the Dessert

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert on a serving tray or invert onto sprayed parchment paper longer than your baking pan so the cake is right side up. Wash and re-spray your baking pan, then transfer the cake into the pan, continuing with the pineapples facing up. Carefully slide the parchment paper out of the baking pan.

Allow to cool completely before serving. Leftovers will stay good for 3-7 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake FAQs

Is pineapple upside down cake healthy?

This pineapple upside down cake is a healthier dessert because it uses real fruit, organic cherries, maple syrup, gluten-free flour, coconut milk, and no refined white sugar. It is still a sweet treat, so enjoy it as part of a balanced biblical health lifestyle.

Can I use canned pineapple instead of fresh?

Yes. Fresh pineapple is my first choice, but organic canned pineapple rings in 100% juice work in a pinch. Avoid pineapple canned in syrup, and blot the rings well before arranging them in the pan.

Why do I need to blot the pineapple rings?

Extra liquid can make the topping runny, cause overflow, or make the cake harder to invert cleanly. Blotting the pineapple gives you a prettier topping and better texture.

Can I make this pineapple upside down cake dairy-free?

The cake layer already uses coconut milk, and the recipe card includes vegan sour cream or vegan mayonnaise. For a fully dairy-free version, use your favorite clean dairy-free butter substitute in place of grass-fed butter.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes. Pineapple upside down cake stores well, so you can bake it ahead and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve. Let it cool completely first, and keep it covered in the refrigerator.

How long does pineapple upside down cake last?

Leftovers stay good for 3-7 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer when stored properly.

What makes this recipe different from traditional pineapple upside down cake?

Traditional pineapple upside down cake usually uses refined sugar, conventional flour, and canned fruit in syrup. This version keeps the classic sticky-sweet topping and beautiful presentation while using gluten-free flour, maple syrup, coconut milk, organic fruit, and Mama Z’s natural sweetener blend.

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