This pineapple upside down cake recipe was inspired by my oldest son who asked for a breakfast other than omelets or frittatas made with leftovers. I wanted to create a breakfast recipe that would have the muffin/bread feel without the flour or added sugar. This pineapple upside down cake was the result, and I’ve gotta say, it’s pretty delicious.
Coconut Flour Paleo Pineapple Upside Down Cake
When I set out to create a healthier pineapple upside down cake, I wanted it to be filling and nutritious as well as yummy. I decided to use coconut flour and used my coconut flour biscuit recipe as the base. I like using coconut flour because it’s packed with fiber and healthy fats.
I also add a lot of eggs to this cake. I know eight eggs sounds like a lot, but they don’t make the cake taste eggy and they’re necessary. The coconut flour works like a sponge and since it lacks the gluten of wheat flour, it needs the eggs for the protein structure. I also like the eggs for their vitamin D, minerals, and protein.
I do recommend lining the bottom of your pan with a layer of parchment paper. It makes removal from the pan much easier and keeps all the pineapple from sticking. I used a springform pan, but you can use whatever shape you’d like.
Fresh or Canned? All the Fruity Possibilities
Traditionally, the fruit for pineapple upside down cakes use canned pineapple rings with maraschino cherries placed in the center of each ring. That is just fine and dandy, but if you happen to see a great deal on fresh pineapple and want to give it a try, I highly recommend it. The taste difference between fresh and canned fruit is enormous! Using fresh pineapple for this cake gives it a more intense pineapple flavor that I just love.
As for those syrupy bright red maraschino cherries… just know that it is possible to find healthier maraschino cherries. However, fresh cherries work just as well and are absolutely delicious.
Side note: Has anyone ever made an upside down cake with a different kind of fruit? I’d never thought of it, but this recipe for an upside down orange cake opened up a whole world of possibilities!
No Caramel Syrup?
Nope. Not in this cake. I know that the delicious caramel topping around the pineapple is kind of the trademark of pineapple upside down cake, but I just didn’t feel it was necessary.
I was trying to create a healthy breakfast cake, so I decided to skip it. And frankly, the cake was tasty enough that we didn’t even miss it. The fresh pineapple juice soaked into the cake a little bit and the honey in the cake batter itself gave a nice sweetness. I do sometimes top the cake with a little vanilla whipped cream or whipped coconut cream though.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup butter or coconut oil (softened, but not melted)
- 8 eggs
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup (optional)
- 1 dash salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ can cored pineapple slices in juice or ½ of a fresh pineapple
- ¼ cup fresh cherries or maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Prepare a 9-inch round baking dish or spring form pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- If using fresh pineapple, peel, core, and cut into ½ inch slices.
- Arrange the pineapple slices on the bottom of the baking dish you are using.
- Place the cherries around and in the center of the pineapple slices.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the coconut flour, butter or coconut oil, eggs, honey or maple syrup, salt, and baking powder to form a thick dough. If necessary, thin with pineapple juice or coconut milk to get a spreadable consistency.
- Spread the batter over the pineapple and cherries.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-40 minutes until cooked through and no longer soft in the middle.
- Loosen the edges of the cake and carefully flip over onto a plate or baking sheet.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Substitute an overripe banana and extra juice to thin in place of the honey or maple syrup if desired.
- If you are using fresh cherries, you can cook some down with a little water and honey or maple syrup to make a cherry sauce.
Nutrition
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This is my first coconut flour recipe!!!! It’s in the oven now…excited to try it.
Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder?
Unfortunately not :/
You can make your own baking powder by using 1/3 baking soda and 2/3 organic cream of tartar. It’s worked well for us in numerous recipes.
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but plan to for my son’s birthday coming up soon.
I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe! My mom has cancer so we don’t eat any sugar or gluten. I made this for her birthday and she loved it! I did not use any honey, just added a banana and stevia to taste. I also added some plain whipping cream with stevia on top! It was amazing! This recipe went in my cook book! Thank you!
Nomnomnom. I am really liking this cake. I also added vanilla, just a teaspoon. I used coconut oil, 1/2 of a banana, 2 Tbsp maple syrup and about 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice. I buttered the pan but next time I will also line the bottom with parchment. I baked it for the full 40 minutes, but that may have more to do with the altitude where I live. It is about 5000 ft.
Covering and refrigerating this cake overnight gives the coconut flour time to rehydrate and gives it a nice texture. It’s a keeper!
This sounds great I have always loved Pineapple Upside Down Cake so to have this healthy version is just so good, however could someone clarify for me if it is safe to heat honey, I have read so many times that if you heat honey it is very bad for your health. Thanks
If it was raw honey and you heat it it is no longer raw. Some of the healthy stuff gets damaged, that is all. Doesn’t change the sugar or anything fundamental. If you actually boil it (like in candy making) the flavour changes in a way some don’t like.
I just made this and it was a HUGE hit!!! I just found your website the other day and I love it! I made a few modifications to the recipe by adding 1 T. vanilla, 1/4 t. salt and I made a sauce with coconut milk and raw honey to drizzle over the top of the pieces as they were served. I also whipped the eggs in my kitchen aid with the whisk until they were extremely frothy (I do this with everything I make with coconut flour). I’m so excited because I realized that I can get my spring form pan out from its dusty storage area:-) I’m going to work on some apple tart, blueberry tart, etc recipes too using this concept:-) I was afraid I would never use my extremely expensive and wonderful spring form pan again. We will never go back to using wheat but I have finally learned how to use coconut flour successfully and we don’t feel like we are missing a thing. Thank you soooo much for sharing this recipe!
So far, I haven’t had much success baking with coconut flour and so many eggs. The carrot cake was a mushy squishy mess even after an hour and a half. I’d like to try this, though. Right now my favorite sweet treat is maple nut clusters. I throw some handfuls of walnuts, sliced almonds, pecans, and unsweetened shredded coconut in a pan, then pour syrup over the top until it just covers the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium to simmer out all the liquid. When everything sticks together, I spread it on wax paper and sprinkle/toss with shelled hemp seed. Let dry and store in a closed container.
That sounds great!
Making this right now. I hope it turns out good!!
I will update!
Not trying to nitpick, but is that 1/2 cup of butter or 1/2 stick?
Catherine
1/2 cup or 1 stick, though you could definitely sub some out if you are using a banana.
This sounds sooo good! I am new to cooking/baking with coconut flour. The first recipe I made was cookies, which ended up tasting really good, but they had a slight coconut flavor (luckily my fiancee didn’t notice because he does not like the flavor of coconut…how sad). I am trying to cook and bake with more coconut ingredients because of how healthy it is for you, but am finding it hard to mask the flavor…any advice?
So far, my favorite dessert is home made chocolate: fair trade cocoa/cacao, honey, and melted coconut oil. Mix well and refrigerate until hardened and enjoy!!
Would that be cocoa/cacao powder? Approx. how much of each because I have all of that in my pantry right now and would so go and make some chocolate! 🙂
i use 1 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1/4 cup honey, with a touch of vanilla. Better yet, I leave out the honey and use vanilla-flavored stevia (I like Sweetleaf brand). Mix it together and spread it in a pan, and then I sprinkle a little sea salt over top to give it the salty/sweet mix. Of course you can just add the cocoa and honey to taste to the coconut oil. And you can just melt it in a saucepan if you want it really quick, and then stick it in the freezer for a couple min. Gotta love those chocolate cravings!
Thanks! If using the stevia how many drops? I made it with the honey but the honey didn’t harden up when chilled so I think the stevia would be better. I am new to using the liquid stevia but looking forward to trying. 🙂
Probably about 20 drops or to your taste…