This is the only Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe that you’ll ever need, it’s so easy to make and tastes delicious! Can be made dairy free too.
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How To Make Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
For this recipe I essentially doubled my regular cake recipe to make my gluten free Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
If you prefer a smaller cake just half my ingredients and bake it for a little less time, you can still use the same 9 inch pan but obviously the cake will be much thinner. Personally I’ll take all the cake I can get so a double batch works for me!
The first step is to add the gluten free flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, margarine or butter, xanthan gum, vanilla and milk into a bowl and mix until blended.
Then you need to melt the remaining margarine (or butter) and sugar together and pour into the bottom of a 9inch cake pan. do NOT use a springform pan, or a cake pan with a removable bottom, or all the sugar mixture will leak out.
Now, simply layer the pineapple and cherries on the base of the cake pan like you see in the photos, and pour over the gluten free cake batter, then bake for 40-50 minutes
How to choose the best all purpose gluten free flour
I almost always create my own all purpose gluten free flour blend, there are two reasons for that.
- It’s typically cheaper to mix and create your own flour blends, so that’s a big incentive. It’s easier than you might think to make your own blend and my recipe for all purpose gluten free flour explains how I make it, and how you can easily substitute one gluten free flour for another.
- The second reason is that using my own blend produces better gluten free baking, every time! I can adjust the amount of gum needed on a per recipe basis, or omit it if necessary. Many of the commercially prepared gluten free flour blends have either xanthan gum or guar gum already added, which is not always a good thing as the amounts vary from recipe to recipe.
Lastly, I always bake by weight and use a digital kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients. The results are consistent this way, especially if I use different gluten free flours in my mix from one recipe to the next.
Ingredients you’ll need for Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
As mentioned above you’ll need a good gluten free flour blend. If you won’t want to make your own blend then I recommend picking up a good ready made gluten free flour like King Arthur‘s.
You’ll also need xanthan gum to replace the gluten in your baking. It’s a little pricey but a little goes a long way, I store it in a ziplock bag in my freezer.
I prefer to use candied cherries for this, but if you can’t find any maraschino will work just the same.
More gluten free baking recipes you’ll love!
I have many gluten free baking recipes that I know you’ll enjoy. If you’re looking for another easy cake recipe then make sure you check out my gluten free Chocolate Cake recipe, it’s made all in one bowl and is super easy to make!
How about some cookies?! I have many cookie recipes on the blog, but my two favorites are my Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies and my Gluten Free Lemon Cookies.
And if you’re looking for another lovely cake, my friend Cindy at Vegetarian Mamma has this wonderful Easy Apple Cake recipe you’ll want to try! And be sure to check out this Gluten Free Cookie Cake from A Mindful Mom, it looks delicious!
Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This is the only Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe that you’ll ever need, it’s so easy to make and tastes delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour , 230g
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar , 230g
- 1 cup dairy free margarine, or butter , 230g
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons milk , I used unsweetened soy
- BASE
- 1/4 cup dairy free margarine , 60g
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar , 100g
- 1 can sliced pineapple , 8-9 whole pieces
- 20 candied cherries or maraschino cherries
Instructions
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PLEASE READ NOTES FIRST!
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Put the flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, margarine, xanthan gum, vanilla and milk into a bowl and mix until well blended.
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Melt the remaining margarine and sugar together and pour into the bottom of a 9inch cake pan.
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Do not use a springform pan or the margarine sugar mixture will leak out.
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layer the pineapple and cherries like you see in the photograph in the post.
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Pour the batter over the top and spread out evenly.
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Bake for 40 – 50 minutes minutes at 350, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the cake.
Recipe Notes
1. I bake by weight as I find that gives the most consistent results, especially when baking gluten free.
One cup of your gluten free flour blend may not weigh the same as my blend, all the commercially available blends have different mixes and ratios of flour in them.
I’ve weighed cups of different blends of flour and noted that a cup of gluten free flour can vary in weight from 125g up to as much as 170g depending on how you scoop it, and what type of mix you use. You can see how this could drastically alter the outcome of a recipe.
I recognise that most Americans are used to the cup method which is why I also include those measurements, but they may not give you accurate results as they are approximate only. If you are a keen gluten free baker I would encourage you to invest in a digital kitchen scale (affiliate link) you can get one for only $10 – $15.
2.I prefer to use my own homemade gluten free flour blend as it’s cheaper and I get really great results.
3. If you can, avoid buying flour with gums already added. The reason for this is that you have no way of knowing how much gum is in there and that can alter the outcome of the recipe. So for example, too much gum can give you a more sticky texture in a cupcake. And though the cupcake recipe will still work, it won’t be as nice as if you measured and added the gum yourself.
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