Homemade pineapple upside down cake on a plate.
FOOD NEWS
Why Canned Pineapple Is Your Best Option For Upside-Down Cake
By Kalea Martin
An opened can of pineapple next to another can.
Although using fresh produce always sounds like the best option, using canned pineapple is the best choice when making a pineapple upside-down cake.
A retro classic dessert, pineapple upside down cake garnished with maraschino cherries.
All canned fruit, including pineapple, is cooked, and when pineapple cooks, it gets sweeter, resulting in an upside-down cake that isn't tart.
Slice of pineapple on a fork with fresh fruit.
While fresh pineapple is naturally juicy and releases more juice as it cooks, canned pineapple is the better option in terms of taste and texture.
A high angle close up vertical shot of an pineapple upside down cake resting in an old, well used baking pan.
Canned pineapple is more syrupy than fresh, so instead of the juice soaking into the surface of the cake and making it mushy, canned pineapple creates a layer of caramelization.
Cut pineapple on a chopping board.
However, if fresh pineapple is all you have, give it a quick saute until it resembles canned pineapple — just make sure it isn't too hot when transferring it to your cake pan.