The key to a good cake is choosing the right flour for the job. In this case I’ve gone with almond flour. It has the density we’re looking for and does a good job of surviving the flop and coming out unscathed. It also provides fiber, and I’m always looking for ways to increase my fiber intake for better health.
Unlike most cakes, an upside down cake requires a little forethought. You have to think of this cake like the ship in Poseidon. Eventually it’s going to end up upside down, so what you put on bottom is going to be the top by the time it’s all said and done.
That’s why we start by putting the pineapple and cherries at the bottom of the pan. When we flip it over they’ll be the first thing that the fork cuts through. After taking out the core of the pineapple be sure that you cut it up so you have some nice pieces to work with to make it look good.
To get the presentation just right on this one make sure to arrange the pineapple and cherries so they make a nice design. You’ll be able to see the pattern of the pineapple once it gets flipped over, so taking some extra care beforehand is a good idea. The cherries add a nice color contrast and go well with the yellow pineapple, as well as adding their signature flavor.
After the pineapple and cherries get a chance to know each other in the oven, you take it out and pour in the batter made from the almond flour and return it all to the oven.
Getting the sweetness right can take some time but I’ve found that raw honey is the best way to go. Not only does it provide you with the sweet taste expected from a cake, it does so in a natural way so you don’t have to worry that you’re harming yourself with refined sugar or an artificial sweetener.
Perhaps the most fun moment of this recipe is when you turn over the cake pan and have your cake plop out onto the plate. It can also be the most stressful, since all of your work up till this point can be spoiled if it doesn’t come out right. Keep your cool and know that it will turn out just fine.
I like to bake this up whenever I have company coming over. It goes well with a nice cup of tea. It also stores well, so you can make the full cake even if you’re going solo and just store the rest for days afterward.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 5 tbsp raw honey
- 3 tbsp liquid coconut oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 slices of fresh pineapple, each ½ inch thick
- 15 fresh or frozen sweet cherries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and core the pineapple slices. Place 1 ½ tbsp of raw honey in an 8'' cast iron skillet or round cake tin. Arrange the pineapple rings and sweet cherries on the honey in a decorative pattern. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- Mix almond flour with baking powder. In a medium bowl cream the eggs with remaining honey. Add the coconut oil and mix to combine. Add the almond mixture and mix well to combine. Remove the skillet from the oven and pour batter over the top of the pineapple rings and smooth it out. Return in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Serve with more fresh sweet cherries.
For the paleo pineapple upside down cake I don’t have a cast iron skillet, what would you suggest I use instead? And are there any changes in the temperature of the oven and baking time? thank you for your assistance!!
Amy,
You can use an 8 inch round cake pan.
Hi, upside down looks so good. I’m not feeding the parasites or bad bacteria for three months, so absolutely zero sugar of any kind and that includes Honey. The little critters love and thrive on sugar. I can use stevia and Xylitol. can you suggest amounts to use? And roasted pecans on the bottom with the pineapple & cherries would be great too.
Thanks a bunch
Lyndell, pineapple has a lot of sugar in it.
Do you think this recipe would work using a gelatin egg replacer?
I think egg replacer would work fine.
Thanks for the recipe! Do i need to spray the insides of the skillet/tin with non-stick spray before putting the honey and pineapple?
I’m beyond excited to try this as this kind of cake is my favorite in the world. Thank you!
How did the cake turn out?
Has anyone made this? Curious how it turned.
I’m wondering how many calories fat and sugar there is in one slice b4 I make this?
I made this for my boyfriend’s birthday as he wanted me to make a cake I could eat too. It turned out fabulous. He couldn’t even tell it wasn’t a “normal” cake. It was a bit sugary but at least it’s honey. For an “in moderation” treat it was quite fantastic. Thank you!
I tried this and unfortunately I ended up with a biscuit on top of pineapple. Instead of batter I had something that looked like dough. I tried putting the coconut oil straight in the eggs and it was just lumps, so I heated it up to make it liquid and it obviously cooked the eggs or the baking soda when it hit it. Olive oil next time maybe? 🙂
Eggs at room temp (very important) and not HOT oil. I’d use a more neutral oil substitute than olive oil, like avo oil or grape seed.
This came out delicious but I had to double the recipe since 1 cup was not enough. I also put more honey on the bottom of the pineapple rings lol.
Thank you for this recipe – Pineapple upside down cake has been my absolute favorite dessert and have missed it terribly over the past couple of years. Have problems with almond anything – do you think I could use tigernut flour instead? I’ve been using it in other things and don’t have a problem. Coconut flour seems to be the same as almond! Thanks again! LG
Louise,
You don’t have to use almond, you can substitute for a nut/flour you know works well for you. Coconut is a good replacement, but remember to reduce the amount of flour as coconut is very absorbent.
Fantastic cake! Moist and delicious. I used an 8″ cake pan in the toaster oven and it needed only 20 minutes. It was a super quick and easy way to have a dessert ready for guests. Also, it helped to put the pan into the oven to soften the honey to spread over the bottom. This recipe is a keeper. I think I’ll try the rhubarb one next. 🙂 Thank you so much!
I only have a 10″ pan. I increased the ingredients by 1.5 and it worked perfectly. Like Hillary, I put the cast iron pan in the oven while it was preheating & I was prepping the ingredients. I’ve made this twice. It’s delicious!
This recipe was outof this world! I made my pineapple slices very thick and packed in the cherries so I doubled the cake batter to support the weight and all that liquid. So delicious and easy to whip up! It took less than an hour from start to finish.
Great recipe with a few added details! It doesn’t specify when to add the vanilla but I added it when adding the oil. Also, there is no salt listed in the recipe but it definitely needs it! I added about 1/8tsp and it gives it the flavor balance that it needs 😊 I also used crushed pineapple with most of the liquid strained out and it turned out great!
I made this for a friend and her and her husband love md the texture and the caramelized pineapple. The steps don’t say when to incorporate the vanilla but I added it when I added the coconut oil.