An elevated take on a classic, this brown butter pineapple upside-down cake is super moist, flavorful, and bursting with brown butter nuttiness!

Brown Butter Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Lately I’ve been having a real moment with browned butter, guys.

I find myself making heaps of it every so often and storing it in the fridge just so I can have it on hand at all times. If you’ve never heard of browned butter before, I’m flabbergasted at the very least, ha! Basically brown butter is a one ingredient sauce that can be used in just about any kind of recipe, sweet or savory. This pure golden magic elixir enhances the flavor in just about anything too.

Brown Butter Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

To make brown butter, you simply melt butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. While the butter melts slowly at that low temperature, its milk solids begin to caramelize, bringing out a rich aromatic nutty flavor. Watching it happen is my favorite part as you’ll see the change in butter happen very quickly. The unique taste of brown butter and that nutty aroma is out of this world addictive!

Brown Butter Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Pineapple upside-down cake is a classic type of cake that really needs no additions already, but adding the brown butter takes it up a notch. In this recipe, I’m not only putting brown butter in the cake batter, but baby, it’s going in the topping too! The little bits from the brown butter create amazing flavor throughout the cake.

Brown Butter Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

The cake itself is lightly spiced, very moist, and fluffy. I’m throwing in traditional elements in a pineapple upside-down cake too such as pecans and maraschino cherries. The brown butter topping soaks into the cake and the cake absorbs a caramel-like consistency. Along with the crunchy pecans and the sweetness from the pineapples, your tastebuds are in a frenzy! Add in some of your favorite ice cream at the end and you’re in business, my friends!

Brown Butter Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I love cakes that are easy and effortless, be sure to check out this upside-down cake, too!

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Brown Butter Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Brown Butter Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

An elevated take on a classic, this brown butter pineapple upside-down cake is super moist, flavorful, and bursting with brown butter nuttiness!

Ingredients

Scale
  • Topping:
  • 1 (20oz) can of pineapple slices
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) browned butter
  • 1/4 cup maraschino cherries, about 7
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • For the cake:
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) browned butter, melted/cooled
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • *Optional: vanilla ice cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
  2. For topping: arrange pineapple slices, maraschino cherries, and pecans to bottom of cake pan. Spread evenly.
  3. Topping instructions cont’d- In a small sauce pan, melt butter over low heat and brown butter. Stir in brown sugar, cooking until sugar is dissolved. Be sure to whisk mixture continuously. Cook for about 1-2 minutes. Pour mixture over pineapple/cherries/pecans in cake pan.
  4. For the cake: In a large bowl, whisk browned butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add in vanilla.
  5. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the milk- beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Whisk until just combined, careful not to over mix batter. Then fold in sour cream with a spatula.
  6. Spread cake batter evenly over pineapple mixture in cake pan.
  7. Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan before inverting cake onto a plate.
  8. Once inverted, cut into slices, top with ice cream; if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to either omit pecans entirely or substitute with your favorite kind of nuts.