This spiced pineapple upside-down cake recipe adds just a little kick to the popular dessert. There’s cayenne pepper powder in the cake batter, but that’s not all. We add a few candied jalapeños here to add a delicious sweet bite (and lovely color) to the recipe.
As with any cake batter, fold carefully (and don’t over-mix) when adding the flour. This is a crucial part of the cake-making process, as over-mixing with cause a flat, dense sponge. And who wants that? Approach with care for that light and fluffy upside-down cake everyone will love.
Candied red jalapeños give the cake some extra color – the red really pops next to those yellow pineapples slices. But if you can only find green candied peppers, those will do too (and it still looks delicious!) If you are adventurous enough to make your own candied jalapeños, checkout our recipe here. It’s really pretty easy.
The heat in the batter from the cayenne is more warm than spicy (read pretty family-friendly.) If you want something with more of a kick, double up the measurements of cayenne pepper and allspice.
See it being made:
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Orange Pineapple Salsa: This salsa is as much a fruit salad as it is a salsa. It’s delicious on its own or with pork or chicken.
- Spiced Grilled Pineapple: Thick pineapple slices grilled just right and spiced with cayenne and cinnamon.
- Spiced Peach Cake: Serve it warm or cold – a scoop of ice cream makes it perfect!
Spiced Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 pinch allspice
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 can pineapple rings 14 ounce can, you will have extra
- 1 tablespoon candied red jalapeños
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the butter and sugar into a stand mixer and stir on low-speed for 5 minutes.
- Turn the speed to medium and mix for a further 5 minutes until the butter and sugar are light and creamy.
- In the meantime, grease an 8-inch cake tin and drain the juice from the pineapple rings and set aside. Lay the pineapple rings across the bottom of the baking tin. In the center of the pineapple rings add a small section of candied jalapeños (if they are whole, cut them into slices.)
- At the end of the 5 minutes of mixing, reduce the mixer speed to the lowest possible.
- Crack one egg at a time into the mixture leaving 2 minutes between each one so they can mix thoroughly.
- Add the vanilla, cayenne pepper powder, cinnamon, and allspice powder to the mixer. Once combined, turn off and remove the bowl from the machine.
- Sieve the baking soda and flour into the cake mixture then fold in gently until combined.
- Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of the leftover pineapple juice to the mixture until you have a thick creamy consistency.
- Pour the cake batter over the pineapple rings in the baking tin then cook in the center of a pre-heated oven for 35 minutes.
- Check if cooked through thoroughly by sticking a fork to the top and if it comes out clean it is ready – if there is sticky batter on the fork cook for a further 5 minutes.
- When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before flipping over onto a serving plate and removing the tin (so the pineapples are on top of the cake.)