Air Fryer Pineapple Upside-Down Bundt Cake
Introducing, my air fryer pineapple upside-down bundt cake! Following on from making this classic cake as a bundt cake, my challenge was to make it work for the air fryer. Now you too can make this easy recipe with mostly pantry staples & a money saving method, in any size of air fryer. Perfect for bakers still wanting to bake in the warmer months.
Air Fryer Pineapple Upside-Down bundt Cake
Energy & Money-Saving Classic Cake
*Original bundt recipe from 18 June 2019, updated to air fryer version, 18 April 2024
**Click link to jump to section**
Why Make This Air Fryer Bundt Cake?
- Easy to make & a beginner’s recipe
- Tastes great
- Money-saving air fryer recipe*
- Smaller Cake, less ingredients
- Step-By-Step Instructions & photos
- Video Tutorial
- Includes adjustments for smaller/bigger pans
- Perfect anytime of the year
- Can be made in hotter weather with air fryer
- Bundt Tin/Pan To Use
Bundt Tin/Pan To Use
This recipe can be used for making one slightly smaller bundt cake, using a bundt pan/tin that will fit even a small air fryer basket.
- 6.5″ (17cm) Kugelhopf Bundt Pan’
The dimensions of this tin are: 6.5″ (17cm) at its widest, 3.5″ (9cm) deep & inner tube has diameter of 2″ (5cm).
Air Fryer Size
This recipe has been developed & tested using my old small, 3.5 litre (37 quarts) basket air fryer, with a maximum cake tin width of 7″ (18cm). As well as in my new Tefal 20 litre 10-in-1 Air Fryer oven, which we are loving so far, & seen in Photo 8 of the instructions.
Recipe Yield
Although a smaller cake, this pineapple upside-down bundt cake will serve 8 – 9 slices. The slices are small but with the sugar syrup, it is a sweet cake and just enough.
Ingredients & Alternatives
Here are the ingredients for the air fryer bundt cake:
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla Or Orange Extract
- Milk
For The Topping:
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla/Orange Extract
- Pineapple Rings/Chunks
- Glace Cherries
**Note ingredient amounts listed in the Recipe Card below.
Sugar
For the cake batter we use white granulated sugar. For the sugar paste topping, in the photos I have used a combination of white & light brown sugar. The amount of brown sugar you use will make the finished cake darker. If you like a more caramel topping to your pineapple upside-down cake, use a 50/50 ratio of white to light brown sugar (*as seen here & in the process photos). Otherwise, use 85g (3 oz) white sugar & 15g (1 tbsp) light brown sugar for a finished cake as shown in the photos of the baked cake.
Flour
Plain or All Purpose flour can be used, with the addition of baking powder for leavening. If you only have UK Self-raising flour, you will not need as much baking powder, so use 2 tsp instead of the 3.5 tsp listed.
Cherries
In UK baking, we tend to use Glace Cherries as these are available all-year-round. In the States and other countries, the alternative is to use Maraschino cocktail cherries in a syrup. Be sure to drain & dry these well.Flavouring
Flavouring
This recipe has been tested with Vanilla Extract and also with Orange Extract. Both work great. Learn how to make Homemade Vanilla Extract for your baking.
Maple syrup is used in the sugar paste topping, but pure honey also works well.
Pineapple
Canned/Tinned pineapple is used in this cake, and you can use either the rings or the chunks. Because of the small bundt and intricate detailing, I decided to chop the pineapple into slim pieces & cut the cherries in half. This is optional and dependant on the shape/pattern of your particular bundt pan and also what pattern you want to make.
Pineapple Upside-down Cake FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about pineapple upside-down cakes and my answers:
“Why is baking a pineapple upside-down cake the most difficult cake to make?”
Pineapple upside-down cake can be considered hard to make for a few reasons. Some fear the flipping over manoeuvre to reveal the pineapple & cherry topping. Placing a large plate or cake stand on top and holding everything together, while swiftly flipping over is the best option. Others fear the fruit and sugar syrup sticking to the pan or a soggy cake ruining their bake. (I address these common issue below).
“How do you keep pineapple upside down cake from getting soggy?”
Drain the pineapple really well & then leave between sheets of kitchen paper/paper towels for at least 30 minutes. This paper will absorb so much more of the liquid when you come back to it. (Do the same if using cherries in a syrup). You can even prepare the fruit the day before. Also, don’t be tempted to add more milk/liquid to the cake batter than listed. Also be sure to completely cool the cake before covering.
“When should I flip a pineapple upside-down cake?”
The ideal time to leave the baked bundt cake, is 30 minutes. Trying to release the cake any sooner & the cake might still be too hot and delicate. Leave it too long to turn out, and the sugar syrup will harden making most, if not all of the fruit pieces stick to the pan.
Competition Entries
Here are some photos by fellow bakers in my Facebook group, Great British Bake Off Fans. We used my old recipe for baking in a standard bundt pan, as our competition recipe. Here are photos by (from left to right, top to bottom) –
Robyn C, Gay L, Nadia F, Bernie P, Jennifer BR, Lisa C, Joanne L, Darlene L, Joanne L, Lydia M, Saira KJ & Mandy KS.
The winner was Robyn, whose pic is top left.
Above is a collage of the pineapple upside-down cake, baked by my friend and recipe tester Diana W. It looks great & presented beautifully.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Prepare The TOPPING
1. Start by weighing or measuring out the 2 amounts of butter while cubing it and leave out to soften.
**Top Tip – cut small cubes like in Photo 1, as a smaller surface area softens quicker.
2. Once the butter is softened enough that you can easily squeeze it between your fingers (but not be too soft or runny), prepare the sugar topping mixture by adding the smaller amount of butter to a mixing bowl. Add in the white & light brown sugar & mix briefly by hand. (See Photo 1 where I was using more brown sugar).
3. Add in the honey/maple syrup and vanilla extract/orange extract.
4. Using a hand-mixer or stand-mixer and the ‘k’ paddle attachment, mix the ingredients together on medium to high speed.
5. Mix for about 30 seconds until the mixture is no longer in clumps, but paste-like. Rub some between your fingertips, where it will spread easily but have a slightly gritty texture.
6. Set the sugar paste mixture aside while you prepare the fruit & cake batter.
7. Make sure you have already well drained & dried the pineapple slices or pieces, by placing in-between 2 layers of kitchen paper/paper towels & left for the moisture to be absorbed.
8. For these slightly smaller cakes, cutting the cherries in half is advised. For cocktail cherries in liquid rather than syrup, be sure to well drain and dry these too.
9. If you have pineapple rings, again chopping is best for smaller cakes. I cut the rings into quite small pieces as shown in Photo 3.
Prepare The Cake Batter
1. ‘Cream’ the second amount of butter, with the sugar. This just means beating the softened butter with the sugar until the mixture is lighter in colour, and ‘creamy’ looking in consistency & texture.
2. Next, add in the eggs, one egg at a time, mixing well in-between each addition.
3. Sieve over the flour & baking powder into the mixture.
**If using UK Self-raising flour instead of Plain/All Purpose, you only need to add the one amount of baking powder ****
4. Start to mix in the flour and baking powder by hand, before moving onto a hand mixer or stand-mixer and mixing for 30 seconds.
5. Add in the vanilla extract (or orange extract) & the milk and mix until incorporated and no more flour is visible, being sure to check the bottom of the bowl.
**Note your batter will be a relatively thick batter, but don’t worry if your batter is a little looser than mine shown in Photo ***
Prepare The Tin & Pattern
1. Prepare the bundt pan/tin by either greasing well with butter, cake-release spray or cooking sprays such as Frylight.
2. Now dust some flour on the inside of the pan, tilting the pan to let the flour fall onto bare areas, letting the butter/spray, take on the flour. Tap the tin as you work the flour around the tin, adding more when needed, being sure to well cover the pan. (See Photo 6)
Another alternative is brushing on 2 layers of Homemade Lining Paste (Cake Goop). For this method, you don’t need to add any flour. Both methods work, and my favourite is the lining paste, especially for bundts. See Photo 6.
**The bundt pan/tin can be prepared before the cake batter if you prefer. Just place in the fridge till ready**
3. Carefully spoon the sugar paste you made earlier, into the bottom of the prepared bundt. Press down into the bottom of the tin, making as even a layer as possible.
4. Next, place the pineapple & cherries on top in your chosen pattern. *You can add the fruit first if you want*.
5. Spoon the cake batter on top of the fruit layer, smooth down as best you can, tapping a few times on the counter/worktop before baking.
Baking The Bundt Cake
1. Pop in your air fryer, (on a shelf or air fryer basket), making sure there is some space above the top of the bundt tin to allow for the cake to rise. (See Photo 8)
2. Bake the pineapple upside-down cake @ 160°c/320°f for about 40 – 45 minutes. (Be sure to pre-heat your air fryer first if your particular machine requires this step).
3. After 16 – 18 minutes of baking, the cake will have risen and be set & golden brown on top, so cover with foil at this stage, tucking it under, making sure it cannot fly about in the air fryer. **Tip – you can hold foil down on the shelf by placing 2 metal forks or spoons on top.
**Do not remove from the air fryer before the 16 minute stage or you risk the cake sinking.
4. Check the cake after 40 minutes by inserting a wooden cocktail stick nearly all the way down. The cake will be ready if the stick is clean of crumbs & if you have a food thermometer, you want the temperature to be about 95°c/203°f or just above.
5. Remove from the air fryer, leave the foil on top and place on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
6. Don’t leave too long or turning out can be difficult. Very carefully run a wooden cocktail stick around the sides of the pan. Place a plate/cake stand on top, hold all together & turn everything over. Tap a few times & lift off the tin.
7. Don’t worry if some of the fruit sticks to the pan, you can easily place back on the cake. There will also likely be some slightly hardened sugar syrup on the bottom of the bundt & this is fine. Just take a note of exactly how long you left the cake before releasing it. The longer you let it cool the more syrup will harden. Different quality and thickness of bundts will result in different cooling times. So in further bakes you could try releasing a couple of minutes sooner.
8. Place the plates cake on a cooling rack and leave to cool before slicing.
Serving & Storing
1. Serve the pineapple upsidedown cake on its own or with some ice-cream or whipped cream.
2. The cake will yield 8-9 slices. Small but with the moisture & sweetness of the syrup, it is just right.
3. Store cooled cake in a metal cake or cookie tin, or under a cake dome, at room temperature & will be good for at least 3 days.
4. Freezing the cake is not advised. You can prepare the sugar paste & the drying of the fruit, up to 24 hours in advance of making the cake.
More air fryer recipes can be found on my Baking On A Budget page.
Recipe Card
Air Fryer Pineapple Upside-down Bundt Cake
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- Stand/Hand-mixer
- Knife and chopping board
- Bundt pan* (Smaller to fit air fryer – 6½″ (17cm) Kugelhopf bundt pan, 5½-6 cups – more details in notes)
- 1 Medium mixing bowl
- Sieve
- Cocktail stick or toothpick
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
For The Topping:
- 56 grams Unsalted Butter (2 oz, ¼ cup, ½ stick, cubed & softened*)
- 85 grams Granulated Sugar (3 oz, ½ cup less rounded 1 tbsp*)
- 15 grams Light Brown Sugar (½ oz, rounded 1 tbsp*)
- 2½ tsp Maple Syrup (Or Pure Honey)
- ¼ tsp Vanilla/Orange Extract (Vanilla or orange extract)
- Pineapple Rings Or Pieces (At least 1 ring, or 9 small pieces, depending on pattern)
- Glace Cherries (At least 9 cherry halves, depending on pattern)
For The Cake Batter:
- 113 grams Unsalted Butter (4 oz, ½ cup, 1 stick, cubed & softened)
- 125 grams Granulated Sugar (4½ oz, 1 cup plus 2 tbsp)
- 2 Medium/Large Eggs (US Large or Extra Large, room temperature)
- 157 grams Plain Flour (5½ oz, 1¼ cups, All Purpose flour*)
- 3¼ tsp Baking Powder (If using UK Self-raising, just use 2 tsp*)
- ½ tsp Vanilla/Orange Extract (Vanilla or orange extract)
- 4 tsp Milk (Any kind)
Instructions
Prepare The Sugar Paste
- Add 56 grams Unsalted Butter, 85 grams Granulated Sugar & 15 grams Light Brown Sugar to a mixing bowl and mix briefly by hand before adding 2½ tsp Maple Syrup (or honey) & ¼ tsp Vanilla/Orange Extract. Then use a hand-mixer or stand-mixer to mix together, just until a slightly gritty paste is formed & set to the side.
Preparing The Fruit
- Make sure the Pineapple Rings Or Pieces have been well drained and left to dry between 2 sheets of kitchen paper/paper towel for about 30 minutes. If using cocktail cherries in a syrup, drain and dry these too.
- Cut the pineapple into small pieces, depending on the pattern you are going for & cut the cherries in half too if need be.
Prepare The Bundt Pan/Tin
- Well grease the bundt pan/tin with either butter, cake release spray or cooking spray (such as Frylight spray). Then dust & coat with a flour layer. Alternatively, use homemade cake lining paste (cake goop) & brush on 2 layers. You can prepare this just before adding the cake batter, but if greasing & flouring, it helps to chill the bundt while preparing the cake batter.
Prepare The Cake Batter
- Add 113 grams Unsalted Butter & 125 grams Granulated Sugar to a mixing bowl & [wprm-glossaryid=1811] together till paler in colour & smooth. Add 1 of the 2 Medium/Large Eggs & beat till incorporated, before adding in the 2nd egg.
- Sieve over 157 grams Plain Flour & 3¼ tsp Baking Powder (if using UK Self-raising flour, add just 2 tsp baking powder). Mix briefly by hand before mixing with a hand-mixer or stand-mixer for 30 seconds. Add the 4 tsp Milk & ½ tsp Vanilla/Orange Extract before mixing just until everything is incorporated. (*Note it will be a thick batter).
Filling The Bundt
- Spoon the cake batter into the prepared bundt, very carefully, pressing down for an even layer. Place pineapple pieces & cherries on top of the sugar paste layer, in your chosen pattern, pressing down as you go. (**The fruit pattern can be placed before the paste layer too*). Then spoon the cake batter on top of the fruit layer & level out.
Baking The Cake
- Tap the bundt on the counter/worktop a few times, before placing inside the air fryer. Make sure there is space above the top of the bundt to allow for growth. Bake for about 40 – 45 minutes, @160°c/320°f. (Pre-heat your air fryer first if your particular machine requires this step). 16-18 minutes in, cover the risen & golden cake with foil, being sure to tuck under for the foil not to move about, and continue baking. **Do not open the air fryer before the 16 minute stage or you risk the cake sinking.
- Test the cake after 40 minutes, & a wooden cocktail stick should come out clean of crumbs. A food thermometer should read at least 95°c/203°f.
Turning Out The Cake
- Leave the cake with the foil on top, on a cooling rack for 30 minutes to start to cool down. **Don't try to turn out before allowing to start to cool or it will stick.
- Carefully use a wooden cocktail stick to release the edges of the cake, before placing a plate or cake stand on top of the cake, hold everything together & flipping over. Tap a few times to release the cake. A few pieces of the fruit might lift off the cake, but just place back in position. Soak your bundt pan/tin in some hot soapy water and leave to clean. Leave the plated cake on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Serving & Storing
- Slice the cake in 8 – 9 portions, being sure to get pineapple & cherry on each slice. Serve alongside some ice-cream, whipped cream or on its own with your favourite tea or coffee.
- Store cooled pineapple upside-down cake in a cookie or cake tin, or under a cake dome, at room temperature, for at least 3 days. Freezing is not recommended. The sugar paste & preparing of the fruit can be done 24 hours ahead of making the cake batter.
Video
Notes
Flavouring – vanilla extract & orange extract both work well in the recipe. Learn how to make homemade vanilla extract for your baking.
Cherries – Glace cherries used in the UK, but US alternative is Maraschino cocktail cherries in syrup. Make sure to drain and dry these really well.
Quantity Of Cherries & Pineapple – because this is a smaller cake, I listed how many pieces I needed, but you can add more for your chosen pattern.
Bundt Tin/Pan – I used a 6.5″ (17cm) Kugelhopf bundt pan that fits even a small air fryer basket. Measures – 6.5″/17cm at its widest, 3.5″/9cm deep, with 2″/5cm diameter inner tube.
Air Fryer Size – this recipe works for both small 3.5 litre (37 quarts) basket air fryers with maximum cake tin width of 7″/18cm, as well as larger open front air fryers with shelves.
Recipe Yield – 8 to 9 slices
For more details, step-by-step directions, process photos & FAQs about pineapple upside-down cake, please see before this recipe card.
More air fryer recipes on the site, as well as these popular air fryer British scones.
Nutritional Information – all information is approximate and based on using the above ingredients, with a yield of 9 slices, where one serving is one slice. If you use more pineapple or cherries, this information will increase. However, there will naturally be some sugar paste on the bottom of the tin that will not be consumed. Cutting larger or small slices and these values will also change. Information calculated from website MyFitnessPal.com.
Subscribe For More Recipes
Want more great recipes, tips, baking information and newsletters? Then please consider subscribing by adding your email address below. Be sure to check for a confirmation email & respond back, so you can follow me & receive your free emails. Your personal information will not be shared with a third party.
Join My Facebook Group
Why not also join my – Facebook group Easy Online Baking Lessons, dedicated to this baking lessons website, as well as providing one-on-one support with myself & my team? Be sure to answer all security questions when requesting to join.
Follow me on social media:
Happy Learning & Baking!
Caro x
Air Fryer Pineapple Upside-Down Bundt Cake
Search For Something You Fancy!
Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons
This is a great recipe. The step-by-step instructions are excellent and loved the fact I could use my air fryer. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Diana! Glad you liked it.
Loved the bundt version of pineapple upside down cake, so know your air fryer one will be great. We made in the Facebook Bake off group for a competition I remember. Always great recipes.
Thank you so much Angela.