Here’s a detailed recipe for a Layered Pineapple Upside-Down Cake—a twist on the classic, turned into a stacked, bakery-style dessert with caramelized pineapple in every layer.
🍍 Layered Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
A soft vanilla sponge layered with caramelized pineapple, brown sugar glaze, and buttery cake.
🛒 Ingredients
🍰 Cake Base
Cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
Butter - 3/4 cup sugar
Sugar - 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
🍍 Pineapple Layer
Pineapple
- 1 can pineapple slices (or fresh slices)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- Optional: cherries for decoration
🔥 Step 1: Make Caramel Pineapple Base
- Melt butter in a pan or directly in cake pans.
- Add brown sugar and stir until slightly bubbly.
- Arrange pineapple slices in a pattern (single layer per pan or bottom layer).
- Add cherries in centers if desired.
👉 This becomes your “upside-down” caramel layer.
🍰 Step 2: Make Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time.
- Add vanilla and milk.
- Slowly combine wet + dry ingredients until smooth.
🍍 Step 3: Layer the Cake (Key Step)
You have two options:
Option A: True layered cake (recommended)
- Divide batter into 2–3 cake pans with pineapple base
- Bake each layer separately
Option B: One cake + stack
- Bake one pineapple upside-down cake
- Slice into 2–3 horizontal layers after cooling
- Add pineapple glaze between layers
🔥 Step 4: Bake
- Bake at 175°C (350°F) for:
- 25–35 min (thin layers)
- 40–45 min (thicker cake)
Check with toothpick (avoid pineapple areas when testing).
❄️ Step 5: Cool & Flip
- Let cake cool 10–15 minutes
- Carefully invert onto plate
- If layering, allow full cooling before stacking
🍰 Step 6: Assemble Layers (If stacking)
- Place first cake layer
- Add whipped cream or pineapple glaze (optional)
- Add second layer
- Repeat
- Finish with caramel pineapple top
Optional frosting:
- Whipped cream
- Cream cheese frosting
- Light buttercream
💡 Tips for Best Results
- Don’t overbake (keeps pineapple juicy)
- Use equal pineapple slices for clean layering
- Let caramel cool slightly before adding batter
- Fresh pineapple gives stronger flavor but more moisture control is needed
⭐ Result
You get:
- Soft buttery sponge
- Sticky caramel pineapple topping
- Juicy tropical flavor in every layer
- Beautiful bakery-style presentation
If you want, I can also make:
- A caramel rum pineapple version
- A no-oven stovetop version
- Or a mini cupcake upside-down pineapple cake recipe