Sourdough Pineapple Upside Down Cake

If you've got a jar of discard in the fridge and a tin of pineapple rings in the cupboard, this Sourdough Pineapple Upside Down Cake has your name all over it. It's buttery, soft, a little nostalgic, and exactly the kind of sourdough cake that looks far fancier than the effort it takes. If you've never made a sourdough discard pineapple upside down cake before, don't worry, this one is very forgiving and wildly satisfying to flip.

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• Sourdough Discard in Cakes
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-By-Step Method
• Important Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage
• More Sourdough Discard Cakes
• Sourdough Pineapple Upside Down Cake

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Sourdough Discard in Cakes

Sourdough discard isn't just there to use up leftovers and feel virtuous about it.

In a cake like this sourdough pineapple cake, it actually does a few very useful things:

• Adds a gentle tang that balances the sweetness of the pineapple, brown sugar and cherries
• Helps keep the crumb tender, thanks to the acidity
• Makes the cake feel softer and moister, especially on day two
• May help the cake keep a little longer, as the acidity acts like a mild preservative

And no, it won't make the cake taste like sourdough bread. You're not baking a loaf in disguise. You're just giving a classic cake a bit more character and a slightly more interesting flavour.

That said, this is one of those bakes where discard should still smell pleasant and mildly tangy. If your starter has been lurking at the bottom of the pan of your fridge jar for weeks and has started growing a swamp on top, maybe not today.

Ingredient Notes

You'll find the full ingredient list and exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but these are the ingredients worth paying attention to:

• Pineapple slices / pineapple rings. Tinned pineapple slices in juice are ideal here. They're consistent, easy to arrange, and you'll also get the pineapple juice for the batter. You can use fresh pineapple, but it tends to be less predictable in sweetness and moisture, and won't give you that proper pineapple upside-down cake look quite as neatly.
• Cherries. You can use either glacé or maraschino cherries. Glacé cherries give a more old-school bake sale vibe, while maraschino cherries are brighter and juicier.
• Sourdough discard. Use unfed sourdough starter at 100% hydration. It should smell pleasantly tangy, not aggressively sour. Active starter also works if that's what you've got.
• Butter and sugar. This recipe uses both melted butter for the fruit base and softened unsalted butter for the sponge. The butter underneath helps create that glossy caramelised top of the cake, while the creamed butter in the batter keeps the crumb light.
• Flour. Plain flour, or all-purpose flour if you're reading from elsewhere on the internet, is exactly what you want here.
• Yoghurt or sour cream. Either works beautifully. Both add moisture and richness, and help make this a genuinely delicious cake, not one of those "it's nice with custard" situations.

Step-By-Step Method

1. Prepare the tin. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Pour the melted butter into a 23cm round cake pan or a 22×22 cm baking dish, then brush it up the sides. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the base.

2. Arrange the fruit. Pat the pineapple rings and cherries dry really well with kitchen paper. Place one ring in the centre, then arrange more around it, using halved rings if needed. Tuck the cherries into the gaps.

3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.

4. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt (or sour cream), pineapple juice, sourdough discard and vanilla. A fork tends to work better than a balloon whisk here.

5. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy.

6. Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.

7. Add the rest of the batter. Add the dry and wet mixtures in stages, alternating them gently:

1. ⅓ of the flour mixture
2. ½ of the yogurt/discard mixture
3. ½ of the remaining flour
4. Remaining yogurt/discard mixture
5. Remaining flour

Mix only until combined each time.

8. Fill and bake. Spoon the batter over the fruit layer and gently smooth the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, (loosely cover with foil for the last 5-10 minutes if the case is browning too quickly), until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

9. Cool and flip. Leave the cake in the tin for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, place a serving plate over the tin, then carefully flip the whole thing. Give it a gentle tap, lift the tin slowly, and admire your work before pretending you were casual about it. Let the cake cool before slicing.

Important Tips

1. Don't use a springform tin unless you trust it with your life. This cake starts with a buttery, sugary fruit layer. If your tin leaks, it will absolutely find a way to make your oven smell like burnt regret. A standard round cake pan, square baking dish, a deep cadst iron skillet or a properly sealed tin is safer. We love our USA Pan rectangular cake pan.

2. Dry the fruit well. Pat the pineapple slices and cherries dry before arranging them. Too much surface moisture can make the topping slippery and watery.

3. Press the fruit right down to the base. Don't just gently place the fruit on top of the sugar and call it done. Press the pineapple and cherries into the butter and sugar so they're in direct contact with the base. That's how you get a beautiful, glossy top of the cake after you turn the entire cake upside down.

4. Don't overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients go in, mix gently and only until combined. Overmixing will make the sponge tougher and less tender.

5. Don't use discard that's gone feral. A little tang is lovely. Discard that's been sitting so long it has a thick layer of hooch on top and smells like nail varnish remover is not. It'll make the cake unpleasantly sour.

6. Add a little spice if you fancy. This cake is lovely as-is, but a pinch of:

• cinnamon
• cardamom
• ground cloves
• or even a tiny pinch of chilli

…works surprisingly well with pineapple.

Serving Suggestions

This sourdough discard pineapple upside down cake is brilliant slightly warm, at room temperature, or cold from the fridge while standing at the kitchen counter pretending you're "just trimming the edge".

Serve it with:

• whipped cream
• crème fraîche
• Greek yogurt
• vanilla ice cream
• coconut cream for a slightly tropical twist (or our Creamed Coconut Yogurt).

If you want to make it feel a bit more pudding-y, warm up a slice and serve it with custard. Very hard to argue with.

Storage

Once fully cooled, store the cake in an airtight container.

At room temperature: It will keep well for 2-3 days, especially in a cooler kitchen.

In the fridge: For longer storage, keep it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Can you freeze it? Yes, you can. Freeze slices or the whole cake (well wrapped) for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature before serving. The topping may soften slightly, but it'll still taste excellent.

More Sourdough Discard Cakes

If this sourdough pineapple cake has reminded you how good discard is in sweet bakes, you'll definitely want a few more sourdough cake recipes in your back pocket. First one to try? It must be our Sourdough Discard Raspberry White Chocolate Loaf Cake.