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March 2, 2015

Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts

Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts

It’s donut o’clock! Which is pretty much my favorite time of day – all day//everyday. I just can’t get enough donuts. I love them! And these pineapple upside-down donuts are sure to be a new favorite near and far! Sticky, sweet, and ready in less than 20 minutes… these are a dream come true for donut lovers everywhere!

Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts

If you’ve been looking for a creative and unique donut recipe to really UP your donut baking game —> these are for you! An incredibly easy donut base gets an upgrade thanks to a thin slice of pineapple and a hearty sprinkle of brown sugar. The pineapple and brown sugar bake into the top of the donut, and like magic, you’ve made an incredible little treat in a jiffy! These donuts are proof that a lot of flavor can come from just a few basic ingredients. Who doesn’t love that?

Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts A few things you should know about this recipe:

1) I use canned pineapple rings for ease and convenience. I prefer to buy the no-sugar added variety, and recommend using it for this recipe as the donuts are already quite sweet.

2) The pineapple rings will need to be sliced into thinner rings; you’ll cut each in half. The first time I made this recipe I used the rings straight out of the can and found that it was an unpleasant fruit-to-donut ratio. Slicing them in half evens everything out. I’ve placed some notes below the recipe in case you need more help with this step.

3) The tops of these donuts are sticky and sweet, making them quite unique. They are best eaten right away, but you can store them in the fridge for up to 48 hours, if need be.

Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts Now break out your donut pan and get baking!

Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts ready in just 20 minutes!

1 vote

Print

Pineapple Upside-Down Donuts

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10 mins

Inactive 10 mins

Total 30 mins

Author bakerbynature

Yield 6 donuts

Sweet and buttery, these baked pineapple upside-down donuts are sure to be a hit! Ready in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients

  • For the batter:
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk, but Cow's Milk will work fine)
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice (unsweetened)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • For the pineapples:
  • 6 slices pineapple, from a can, patted dry, sliced in half (see note below)
  • 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
  2. Generously grease a doughnut pan; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, pineapple juice, vanilla, melted butter, and egg. Gently fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture - being careful not to over mix! Set aside.
  4. Using paper towels, gently pat the pineapple slices dry; set aside. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of brown sugar in each of the donut molds; break it up evenly around the mold, then place the pineapple over the sugar.
  5. Spoon batter into prepared donut pan (over the pineapple slices); each mold should be filled 3/4 of the way full; you will have leftover batter. Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Allow doughnuts to cool a few minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire wrack to cool for a few more minutes. Serve warm, or set aside until needed.

Notes

You will need to slice the pre-cut rings of pineapple in half before using them in this recipe. The slices in the can will be too thick as is, causing an uneven fruit to cake ratio. I find the easiest way to slice the pineapples is using a serrated knife, and going slowly!

Courses Breakfast

Cuisine Donuts

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 donut

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Pineapple Upside Down Donuts

14K Shares

Filed Under: Breakfast, Donuts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nazia @ Your Sunny Side Up says

    March 2, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    I’ve heard of pineapple upside down cake before, but have never seen a donut version. It looks so beautiful!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:41 am

      Thank you, Nazia! It’s a fun twist on the classic cake πŸ˜‰

      Reply
    • Ann Beach says

      June 26, 2015 at 11:51 pm

      Love the idea! However I’m wondering if using pineapple tidbits and sprinkling them over the brown sugar would work instead of having to painstalkingly cutting the thick ring in half. Also we love the added marchino cherry in the middle of our pineapple ring on the upside down cake so I might also dice up alittle cherry to add to the tidbits.

      Reply
  2. Nicole - Coking for Keeps says

    March 2, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    These have got to be one of the most creative donut recipes I’ve ever seen -seriously, so smart!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:40 am

      Thank you girl πŸ™‚ It was definitely a delicious day of work when I created these babies πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  3. Shanna @ pineapple and coconut says

    March 3, 2015 at 3:08 am

    I love you for making these just for me. I am so making these soon

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:38 am

      What can I say… you’re my inspiration πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  4. Lauren at Keep It Sweet says

    March 3, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    OMG I love these!! That’s saying a lot since I don’t really get the appeal of pineapple upside down cake!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:38 am

      Aww Lauren you’re the sweetest! I hope our paths cross again very soon πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Sammie says

    March 3, 2015 at 7:14 pm

    Hi, what an absolutely unique and brilliant idea! I’ve not bought a doughnut pan yet as I’ve heard conflicting reports. Some say they’re great and a healthier way to enjoy doughnuts, others, that they just taste like cakes. Please can you help me. Do they actually taste like doughnuts? Love your site! Sammie http://www.feastingisfun.com

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:36 am

      Hi Sammie. Great question. Personally I love baked donuts, but I’ll admit, they’re definitely not the same as fried. To me, that’s a good thing. They’re lighter, less greasy, and SO easy to make. So while they’re different, they’re amazing in their own way. They do taste like donuts, just baked ones. I hope that helps πŸ™‚

      Reply
  6. Blog to Taste says

    March 3, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    Whoa! These are incredible! I can already taste them πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:35 am

      Thank you! They’re one of my favorites <3

      Reply
  7. Amanda says

    March 3, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    These are amazing!!! Such a great idea!

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:34 am

      Thank you Amanda πŸ™‚

      Reply
  8. Kathleen says

    March 3, 2015 at 11:03 pm

    I don’t have a donut pan but was thinking I would try this with my mini bundt pan…it would increase the cake to fruit ration so might be able to use a whole slice….any thoughts?

    Reply
    • bakerbynature says

      March 4, 2015 at 2:34 am

      Hi Kathleen. I’ve never tried these in a mini bundt pan, so while I can’t say for sure it’ll work, I think a whole slice of pineapple would be fine πŸ˜‰

      Reply
      • Kathleen says

        March 4, 2015 at 6:28 pm

        I will try it out and let you know! Thank you for the inspiration.

        Reply
  9. I've made the mine-bundt version of pineapple upsidedown cakes -they're amazing! says

    April 18, 2015 at 1:21 am

    I’ve made the mini-bundt version of pineapple upside-down cakes -they’re amazing!

    Reply
  10. Jolene says

    April 20, 2015 at 9:32 pm

    Made these today, fantastic! I have the Norpro pans in the full size and the mini, just love them πŸ™‚ Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  11. yant says

    June 12, 2015 at 12:56 am

    aku suka, aku copy ya resepe nya, makasih

    Reply
  12. Janet says

    June 19, 2016 at 11:26 am

    These look amazing but I have a question. The recipe says it makes six doughnuts yet the ingredients call for 6 slices of pineapple (cutting them in half would make 12) and 6 tablespoons of brown sugar (1 teaspoon per doughnut would be 2 tablespoons total, I think). So, does this recipe make six or twelve?

    Reply
    • Diane says

      May 11, 2020 at 1:22 am

      OMG! OMG!

      Reply
      • Diane says

        May 11, 2020 at 1:25 am

        JANET TOTALLY MIXED ME UP! I’M TRYING THE RECIPE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND LOOKING AT THE COMMENTS SO THAT I CAN POSSIBLY DO A GOOD JOB AND THEN I SEE ALL OF THE QUESTIONS AND AM WONDERING – WILL I BE ABLE TO GET A DELICIOUS DESSERT OR DO I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE OF JANET’S QUESTION?

        Reply
  13. Halajko says

    August 21, 2016 at 4:48 pm

    Merci de proposer une traduction en franΓ§ais correct. Pour cette raison je supprime l’application.

    Reply
  14. Amanda says

    December 27, 2016 at 9:42 pm

    These are delicious. The recipe does make more than 6 but not enough for 12, cutting the pineapple in half is a pain but worth it. I added a cherry and the doughnut grew around it and made them perfect. Love love love these!

    Reply
    • PATTI KIPKE says

      June 30, 2018 at 5:34 pm

      While camping I substituted with a glazed donut, cut it in half and added all the b/sugar pineapple and cherry. Wrapped in tinfoil and put on thegrill ten minutes OH WOW THEY WERE SO GOOD!

      Reply

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Meet Ashley

Hey! I’m Ashley, a creative spirit with a major sweet tooth. Most days you can find me in my happy place: the kitchen. If I’m not there, I’m probably snapping photos of food, planning a party… or dreaming about my next trip to Paris (AKA my favorite place in the entire world). I’m a story teller, recipe developer, and photographer who firmly believes that a homemade life is a happy life. Learn More.

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