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Vegan Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

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Photo by Chelsea Kyle

I have to give Sabrina, my business partner at BabyCakes NYC, 100 percent of the credit for creating this incredible cake. Normally, pineapple upside-down cake just isn’t my thing, but the texture, spice, and fluffiness of this recipe really won me over. If you’re a beginner, this is a good cake to start with because it’s a snap, it can be ready to eat in just about an hour, and it looks gorgeous. Feeling adventurous? Make some powdered sugar glaze and drizzle it all over.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil, plus more for brushing the pan
1/4 cup vegan sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 1/2-inch-thick pineapple slices
1/2 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup arrowroot
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup agave nectar
6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1/4 cup hot water

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch cake round with parchment paper and lightly coat with coconut oil.

    Step 2

    In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and the 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle the bottom of the cake pan with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Arrange the pineapple slices over it. Set aside.

    Step 3

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, potato starch, arrowroot, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, cardamom, and baking soda. Add the agave nectar, the 1/2 cup coconut oil, the applesauce, vanilla, and hot water. Stir with a rubber spatula until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter over the pineapple.

    Step 4

    Bake for 20 minutes, rotate, then continue baking until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes more. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Run a knife along the pan’s edge and invert onto a serving plate.

Cover of the cookbook featuring gluten free vegan donuts with coconut.
Reprinted December 9, 2011, with permission from Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna, © 2011 Clarkson Potter. Buy the full book at Penguin Random House, Amazon, or Bookshop.
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