All of the nostalgia of the old-fashioned classic cake in donut form. These Pineapple Upside Down Donuts are perfectly portioned to fulfill that nostalgic cravings!
Happy Mother’s Day! Pineapple Upside Down Cake makes me think of my mom, so I figure today would be the best time to share this lighter, portion-controlled donut version with you.
My mom makes this cake every Thanksgiving, so that’s where the nostalgia comes in for me. Her version, like many others, is made in a cast-iron skillet. She caramelizes the pineapple in tons of butter and brown sugar, then tops it with the batter. The whole thing bubbles up while it bakes. It’s all kinds of delicious but definitely saved for just special occasions.
So here is my lighter version, in donut form! You know I’ve been kind of obsessed with baked donuts lately (see Cinnamon Roll Baked Donuts and Red Velvet Donuts). I think these are my favorite, though. The caramelized pineapple combined with that vanilla and cinnamon cake is just heavenly.
The maraschino cherries are a cute garnish that makes these look even more like the classic, but I don’t usually eat the cherry. In fact, if you don’t care too much about the presentation, you could just leave them out all together. The flavor is all in that pineapple mixture.
How to Store Pineapple upside down donuts
Your best bet is to store them in a large, air-tight container in the refrigerator. They actually reheat better than any other donuts I’ve made. Just pop one in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
These also freeze really well. I put them in a single layer of a Ziplock bag, place carefully in the freezer with the pineapple side up, then let them freeze completely before storing them. Defrost in the microwave for about a minute.
The best part is, these only take about 30 minutes from start to finish. Just make sure you really do give them 10 minutes to cool before you unmold them. I know it’s hard to wait that long, but it makes such a huge difference! Otherwise, you risk losing some of that delicious pineapple caramel, as it will stick to your molds.
30 minutes total isn’t THAT long to wait for freshly baked donuts, right? And so much healthier! I promise you won’t even be able to tell that these are only 4 SP each, or 150 calories. Soooo worth it!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there.
Pineapple Upside Down Donuts
Ingredients
FOR THE PINEAPPLE CARAMEL
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pineapple, thawed frozen or fresh
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp light butter
FOR THE DONUT BATTER
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- optional: maraschino cherries for garnish (might add extra points depending on the brand you use)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 1-2 donut pans with cooking spray (you need 9 molds)
- Make the pineapple caramel. In a medium sauce pan, bring sauce ingredients to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until pineapple is very tender, mashing it up as you go. After about 10 minutes, the pineapple should almost be melted into the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Grease your donut molds with cooking spray. Divide the pineapple caramel evenly between 9 molds.
- Make the batter. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: almond milk, egg, yogurt, and vanilla.
- Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until fully combined. Divide batter between 9 donut molds, about 2 tbsp for each mold.
- Bake for 7-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Baking times will depend on your oven and the type of pan you use; mine were perfect at the 10-minute mark.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert pans on cooling rack, gently removing them so that the pineapple caramel in on top.
- Serve as is or with maraschino cherries.
Hands down, the best thing ever!!! So easy to do, and I had to stop myself from eating more!!!
Aren’t they amazing?? Thank you for the review!