Make this tasty instant pot pineapple upside down cake tonight! It comes out so moist with a carmelized fruit topping. Plus it is so pretty to serve – even if you aren’t a talented cake decorator! This is one of our favorite fruit-centric instant pot cake recipes!
We love baking instant pot desserts around here. We have also shared recipes for instant pot funfetti cake, instant pot peach cobbler, instant pot apple dumplings, instant pot cherry cobbler, instant pot apple crisp, and instant pot monkey bread!
Have you ever had pineapple upside down cake? The trick is to start with the pineapple on the bottom of your cake pan. You arrange them along with marachino cherries in a pretty design and sprinkle with brown sugar.
How to make instant pot pineapple upside down cake
After you arrange your pineapple and cherries, you make your cake batter and pour it on top.
This recipe for instant pot pineapple upside down cake is made with a homemade cake batter – not a cake mix. We use cake flour for this recipe and it results in a delicate crumb and wonderful flavor. If you have never baked with cake flour before, don’t worry! You can find it at your local grocery store.
You may have not noticed it before, bit it is in the flour section and is often sold in a box instead of a bag. You wont want to skip the cake flour in this pressure cooker pineapple cake recipe. It makes all the difference in the overall outcome of the cake!
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What is the difference between cake flour and all purpose flour?
The primary difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour is the protein content. Cake flour has a lower protein content that results in more tender cakes. It is important to use cake flour when the recipe calls for it, or you may end up with a failed recipe.
Do you need to refrigerate a pineapple upside down cake?
Yes. If you are not planning to eat your pinenapple upside down cake on the same day, it will need to be refrigerated. It will last up to 3 days in the fridge. If you are planning on serving it after 3 days, than plan to store it in the freezer.
Can you reheat pineapple upside down cake?
Yes. Reheat it in your oven at a low temperature until warmed throughout.
Can you freeze instant pot pineapple upside down cake?
Yes. Let your instant pot pineapple cake fully cool. Wrap in two layers of foil. Label (I like to write directly on the foil with a permanent marker), date, and freeze up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in your fridge or at room temperature for an hour or so.
Instant Pot Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Make this tasty instant pot pineapple upside down cake tonight! It comes out so moist with a carmelized fruit topping. Plus it is so pretty to serve - even if you aren't a talented cake decorator!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple slices
- 12 maraschino cherries, stems removed
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Place water and trivet inside Instant Pot®.
- Grease a (7-inch) cake pan.
- Arrange pineapple slices in a single layer on bottom of cake pan, breaking slices in half to fit, as needed. Reserve pineapple juice.
- Place cherries in openings of pineapple slices and any extra around slices.
- Sprinkle brown sugar over pineapples and cherries.
- Cut 2 tablespoons butter into small chunks and arrange over brown sugar.
- With an electric mixer, cream together remaining 1/2 cup butter and granulated sugar. Mix until fluffy, 2 minutes.
- Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Mix in vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix.
- Slowly mix in flour mixture and buttermilk into wet mixture, alternating between flour and buttermilk until ingredients are fully combined.
- Pour cake batter into cake pan.
- Cover cake pan tightly with foil.
- Create a foil sling and carefully lower pan into Instant Pot®.
- Close lid and set pressure release to sealing.
- Press manual or pressure cook button and set to 32 minutes on high pressure.
- Quick release pressure and remove lid.
- Carefully remove cake pan from Instant Pot®. Remove foil.
- Use a straw to poke 20 holes in cake. Pour reserved pineapple juice on top of cake. Let sit on a cooling rack, 30 minutes.
- Run a knife around edges of cake. Turn cake over onto a cake plate to remove from pan.
- Let cool to room temperature and serve.
Notes
Freezing instructions: Let cake fully cool. Wrap in two layers of foil. Label and date. Freeze up to 3 months.
Recommended Products
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Pillsbury Softasilk Cake Flour - 32 oz - 2 Pack -
Oster 270-Watt Hand Mixer with HEATSOFT Technology
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Fat Daddio's PRD-73 Round Cake Pan, 7 x 3 Inch, Silver
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Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer
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The "I Love My Instant Pot" Affordable Meals Recipe Book
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1 sliceAmount Per Serving Calories 400Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 104mgSodium 341mgCarbohydrates 79gNet Carbohydrates 0gFiber 1gSugar 50gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 7g
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Linda
I didn’t want to make my husband his favorite pineapple upside down cake from scratch so I’m using a little Jiffy yellow cake mix, and crushed pineapple. It’s in my 8 quart Instant Pot right now. It’s set on manual for 32 minutes, I used 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice in the batter rather than water and I’ll do as your recipe says and poke holes in the cake when it’s done and pour the remaining pineapple juice over the cake. I’m hoping my husband loves it. I’ve had my Instant Pot for about 3 weeks now and I haven’t used any other method of cooking dinner since I got it. I’ve made beef roast with potatoes carrots onions and celery and gravy, I’ve made meatloaf with mashed potatoes, goulash the American kind, chicken and dumplings, Spanish rice with ground beef, chili and cornbread, fresh picked green beans southern style, etc. To our amazement every single thing has been excellent. My husband asked if I’d changed my recipe for chili, I told him I hadn’t he said that’s the best chili he’d ever had. We’ve been married 58 years and after that long cooking can become monotonous, but I’m having so much fun cooking in my Instant Pot I’m always on the lookout for new recipes.
CHERYL MIKEL
I made this cake and it was raw when I went to poke the holes into it with the straw after the recommended cooking time. The recipe made a lot of batter too. My pan was almost full and pushed the foil up. Was it for 2 cakes? I didn’t see that in the instructions. I baked it longer and that seemed to help. Did I do something wrong?
Aileen
Hi Cheryl. I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work quite right for you. I’m not exactly sure what went wrong, but sometimes items need to cook for a little longer than stated in the recipe (as is with the oven, too). I did use it to make one cake. 🙂
Nirmala Dindial
You did not say whether to pressure cook on high or low.
Aileen
Hi Nirmala. This should be cooked on high pressure. I will update the post to reflect that. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!