Featured Comment
From Beverly: “I made this cake for a birthday dinner party for a friend with celiacs. I almost always tweak recipes, but since this is created and tested for gluten-free flour, I followed it exactly. It was amazing! We all agreed we liked it better than a traditional pineapple upside down cake. ★★★★★“
From Kara: “Requested this cake for my recent birthday. We make our desserts gluten free due to two kiddos who need it. I honestly like this cake better than the “trad” recipe I’ve used for years, and would not have been able to tell it was GF if I didn’t know it. Soooo delicious! Even used oat milk instead of regular milk and it turned out fine. Your website and recipes are seriously the BEST! ★★★★★“
Recipe Overview
⏱️ Time to Taste: 1 hour
✨ Texture: Soft, moist, and fluffy with a caramelized fruit topping
🥣 Ease: Easy
🌾 Flour Used: Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour
🍍 Key Feature: Classic pineapple rings + cherries baked into buttery brown sugar topping
🎂 Best For: Holidays, potlucks, family dinners, summer gatherings
❤️ Why You’ll Love It: Moist sour cream cake base, no-fail structure, and nostalgic upside-down presentation
If you’re looking for a gluten-free pineapple upside-down cake reminiscent of the original classic, this recipe is it!
I love that this cake is made with basic pantry staples. No need to worry about buying fresh pineapple either—in fact, the classic canned pineapple slices work best. I promise this recipe will remind you of your grandmother’s pineapple upside-down cake, and you won’t even be able to tell it’s gluten-free!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free pineapple upside-down cake. .Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: This gluten-free cake turns out best when you use a high-quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend that contains xanthan gum. This is my favorite brand for this recipe.
- Sour Cream/Oil: Just like in this gluten-free birthday cake and this gluten-free red velvet cake, I use a combination of sour cream and oil instead of butter to keep the cake rich and the crumb light. I usually use vegetable oil or coconut oil.
- Baking Powder: I use a good amount in this recipe for the perfect rise.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
I like to start by mixing all of the dry ingredients together so they’re evenly combined before adding them to the batter later.
Then, I use my stand mixer to mix the sugar, egg whites, oil, and vanilla. I usually pause once or twice to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is fully combined.
Next, I add the sour cream. I highly recommend adding the dry ingredients and milk incrementally. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference in the texture of the cake! This is especially important for gluten-free cakes since they can easily become dense if the batter isn’t mixed properly.
Note: Adding the dry ingredients alternately with the liquid ingredients ensures the gluten-free flour absorbs evenly into the batter. This helps prevent a grainy gluten-free pineapple upside-down cake, and keeps the crumb soft and light.
The butter and brown sugar create the signature glossy topping once the cake is inverted. I pat the fruit dry to prevent a soggy cake, then arrange whole pineapple rings across the bottom of the pan. Next, I use halved rings and cherries to fill in the design. I like to chill the pan to help everything stay in place!
This cake is perfectly baked when it looks golden and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. The cooling process is also important so that the cake releases cleanly. I love serving each slice with a dollop of whipped cream for the perfect finishing touch!
Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Tips
- Important: Blot your pineapple and cherries dry before placing on the cake. Otherwise, your cake might be soggy!
- I recommend using one 20-ounce can of pineapple slices for this cake. It’s the perfect amount for the fruit arrangement!
- Let the cake cool for ONLY 20 minutes before turning it out onto the serving plate. Then let it cool completely before slicing.
- Do not place this cake in the fridge while it’s cooling—otherwise, the cake will be dense.
Can I Use Fresh Pineapple Instead Of Canned?
Yes, but fresh pineapple will give you slightly different results. They release more juice as they bake, which can make the cake a bit softer and less predictable. They also don’t hold the classic upside-down pattern quite as neatly since the slices vary in size and moisture.
Canned pineapple is recommended because it’s more consistent and gives the most reliable texture and appearance.
What Does Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Taste Like?
This cake is soft, buttery, and lightly vanilla-flavored with a rich caramelized brown sugar topping. The pineapple adds sweetness and moisture, while maraschino cherries provide a classic nostalgic finish.
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes
Best Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
Topping
- 4 tablespoons (56g) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (106g) brown sugar
- 8 –10 pineapple rings, patted dry
- 15 –20 maraschino cherries, patted dry
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (169g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Other Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup (60ml) neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
- 1/2 cup (120ml) 2% milk
Instructions
- FOR THE TOPPING: Pour the melted butter into an ungreased 9×2-inch pie dish or 9-inch round cake pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.
- Pat the pineapple and cherries with paper towels until they’re very dry. (Wet fruit will make a soggy cake.) Arrange 6-7 pineapple rings and all the cherries on top of the brown sugar. Halve 3 pineapple rings and arrange them around the sides of the pan. Place the pan in the fridge to set the arrangement while you prepare the cake batter.
- FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat together the sugar, egg whites, oil and vanilla until fully combined, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and beat until well-combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add ½ of the dry ingredients, followed by ½ of the milk. Mix to combine. Add the remaining ½ dry ingredients and ½ milk, then mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter on top of the pineapple arrangement. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before turning it out onto a serving plate. (Do not let the cake cool for more than 20 minutes before turning it out.) Allow the cake to cool completely before serving
Notes
dairy-free milk of choice. Nut-Free: This cake is naturally nut-free. To Make-Ahead: This cake is best the day it’s made. If made a few hours ahead, keep it covered at room temperature after it is completely cooled. To Store: Cover leftovers tightly or store in an airtight container, then refrigerate for up to 2 days. I recommend letting it come to room temperature before serving. To Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this cake. The pineapple topping releases moisture as it thaws which can make the cake soggy and change the texture.
Every source I have consulted informs me that 3 tsps of baking powder is too much for 1 cup plus 2 tbsp of 1:1 gluten free flour (King Arthur). I have tried your recipe & went with 2 tsp & a slight 1/4 tsp baking soda. It’s in the oven now. Fingers crossed. Curious to hear your comments. But in checking your recipe comments, nobody complained of a soapy taste.
Hi Janet, gluten-free flour needs more baking powder to help lift the cake, which is why the recipe calls for 3 teaspoons. Hope you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi! I tried this recipe yesterday. It looked lovely and tasted pretty good too. My top browned (pineapple and cherry layer) and I’m wondering what I did wrong. It still tasted good but I think the sugar cooked a bit too much. I used a 10” Pyrex glass pie plate to bake like the picture in the recipe and did 375 for about 43mins until the cake was cooked through. I wish I could include a picture. Also we all felt the pineapple didn’t have much taste wondering if it’s bc I patted dry. It was canned organic slices…
Hi Lexie, we’re glad it tasted good, despite the browning and pineapple flavor. It sounds like your oven runs a bit hot and it may work better to bake this cake at 350°F. The slices do need to be patted dry, but you don’t need to squeeze or overly dry them. Organic pineapple slices packed in juice will be less sweet and flavorful than typical pineapple slices packed in heavy syrup. We hope these ideas help!
Truly delicious! We made this for my daughter‘s birthday dessert yesterday and it was absolutely delightful. If we make it again, I would probably do a double batch in a 9 x 13 pan because it is a bit time/labor intensive, but still so worth it! Thank you!
Hi Hillary, we’re so happy to hear the recipe was a success for your daughter’s birthday! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive baking experience with us!
Don’t double it in a 9×13!! I did and it started to overflow in the oven. I had to lower the temp to 350, cover with a foil and bake another 30 minutes to bake the inside!
Hi, can you substitute pineapple juice for the milk? Can you double the recipe?
Hi Gail, we haven’t tried that swap ourselves, but we’ve had several readers share that they successful subbed half of the milk with pineapple juice. Yes, you can double the recipe and use a 9×13 or two 9″ round pans. You may need to adjust the baking time slightly if using a larger pan like the 9×13. We hope you enjoy the cake!
Can I use Greek yogurt rather than sour cream???
Hi Michele, while we haven’t tried it ourselves, readers have shared that they’ve tried swaps like Greek yogurt with success. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Requested this cake for my recent birthday. We make our desserts gluten free due to two kiddos who need it. I honestly like this cake better than the “trad” recipe I’ve used for years, and would not have been able to tell it was GF if I didn’t know it. Soooo delicious! Even used oat milk instead of regular milk and it turned out fine. Your website and recipes are seriously the BEST!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear the recipe was such a hit! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Kara. And happy belated birthday!
This looks like a great recipe with
good tips. I was about to make it
but can’t find the measurements.
What am I missing?
Hi Wendy, the full recipe card is towards the bottom of the page. At the top of the page, you can click on “jump to recipe” to go straight to the recipe card. We hope this helps and you enjoy the cake!
This is by far the best GF cake I’ve ever made. Made only 2 changes, used dark brown sugar for the topping and used half pineapple juice half milk in lieu of all milk. Absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much.
Yay! We’re so glad you loved the recipe, Rita! It’s good to know those substitutions worked well for you. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
Christie,
By any chance would you happen to have a GF recipe for Hummingbird cake or for Carrot cake? Please let me know.
Thank you,
Rita
Hi Rita, we don’t have a hummingbird cake yet, but Erin has this amazing gluten-free carrot cake recipe we think you’ll enjoy! Happy baking!
Is the batter supposed to be more runny than a traditional cake batter? I’ve never made a gluten free or a gluten version so I wasn’t sure.
Hi David, thank you for your question! The batter shouldn’t be super runny. How did your cake turn out once baked? We’d be happy to talk through ideas for next time!
Just made this cake for myself and my family and it was incredible. I followed the instructions exactly as in the recipe and it turned out perfectly. It was moist, fluffy, and so delicious. A total hit with my entire family, and no one even knew it was gluten free. I’ve never left a review on a recipe before but had to this time since it was just that good. Thank you!!!!
Thank you for such a kind review, Addie! We’re so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the cake!
Has anyone substituted pineapples for peaches? I’m thinking about making an upside peach cake using this recipe.
Thank you in advance,
T
I can’t wait to try this recipe!! Do you think I could use this recipe and make upside down pineapple muffins?
I’ve made this cake twice now, and it is phenomenal, And you don’t even have to have add the caveat that it’s delicious, considering it’s gluten-free! Beautiful crumb, lovely flavor. I have made it both with canned pineapple and fresh, and we absolutely prefer the fresh. If you can manage it, let your pineapple sit on the counter until it looks like it’s ready to be thrown away. A produce manager taught me that trick, to let it ripen to the point that it looks like it’s gone bad. The pineapple inside will be so sweet, like candy. I replaced half of the milk with pineapple juice, and have used Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. It definitely does splatter so be careful. I tented about halfway through to make sure it doesn’t brown too much. Thank you for the step-by-step. I know gluten-free baking is way more complicated, so thank you. The only point I might make is that you can’t just go by wait when you’re using gluten-free flour blends as they all weigh different amounts because they use different flours. It’s an easy fix because I looked up on King Arthur’s site for the appropriate flour blend weight. Otherwise, thank you for putting weights in with your recipes. And my family thanks you for such a delicious cake!
Hi Amy, thank you for sharing your feedback and tips! We are so glad you enjoyed the pineapple upside-down cake!
Absolutely delicious!! My granddaughter says this is her favorite cake. She has celiac, so finding baked items is a struggle. Too dense, too dry…..etc…
But you could not even tell it was a gluten free dessert. Thank you for all your hard work testing different ways to make gluten free desserts something that we want to eat.
We’re so glad you all enjoyed the recipe and it was such a hit with your granddaughter! We appreciate you taking the time to share such kind feedback. Happy baking!
scrolled several times and coindlt see the actual recipe. nice that you took the time to make it pretty with a bunch of pics. guess I’ll go look up another recipe
Hi Brig, we’re so sorry to hear you had trouble finding the recipe! At the top of the recipe’s page, right under the recipe title, there is a “Jump to Recipe” button. You can click on “Jump to Recipe” to skip over the writing and pictures and go straight to the recipe itself. Hope this helps for next time!
Hi,
Hi, I just made my first gf pineapple upside down cake. It wasn’t your recipe but it was terrible. I followed directions to the t and had to throw it out.
So I’m going to try yours but have one question. Can I substitute pineapple juice for the milk? I’m afraid to make any changes.
Thanks so much.
Rita
Hi Rita, we’re sorry you had this experience with other recipes! We haven’t tested out pineapple juice as a full swap for the milk before. One reader shared she subbed pineapple juice for half of the milk and it went well, but we just haven’t tried it ourselves. If you decide to try it out, we’d love to hear how it goes! Happy baking!
Can this be made ahead and refrigerated overnight? I don’t know if I’ll have time to make it between church and the party.
Hi Gina, yes that will work! The cake will keep in the fridge for 24 hours if stored in an airtight container or tightly covered. We hope everyone enjoys the cake!
Hi. Looks amazing. Do you think I can substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt and milk with almond milk?
Thank you!
Hi Lynn, great question! While we haven’t tried those substitutes, others have commented that they’ve tried swaps like Greek yogurt and nondairy milk with success. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Great crumb on this cake! The hubs and I enjoyed this for dessert last night and we were both very impressed. I think you could serve this to anyone and they would never know that it’s GF. We’re also dairy free so I made a few substitutions and the cake turned out perfectly. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!