Canned pineapple, whether crushed or rings, is an undeniable staple of Southern baking. It’s the secret to moist Hummingbird Cake, it’s the base of pineapple casserole (which may or may not be a dessert depending on how you look at it), and it’s also famously the retro go-to for upside-down cake alongside its saccharine cousin, maraschino cherries.

But upside-down cakes can be so much more, and perhaps even better, when made with other fruit. The best part? You don’t have to fundamentally change anything about the cake recipe. Simply artful arrange your fruit of choice and bake away.

What Fruit Works For An Upside-Down Cake?

I would love to be to tell you that you can toss anything in the pan and it will magically bake up into something delicious, but unfortunately that’s not always the case. Some ingredients that work well may surprise you. (More things work than you would think).

Bananas are a great example. You might expect them to get mushy, but actually bananas hold their shape well, baking to a tender, bananas fosters-like texture. (Just don’t use them ones that are ripe, they’re basically already mush.)

Here are a few other options:

• Peaches (or any stone fruit) work wonderfully. Simply slice them into wedges.
• Berries are another great choice, you can use one kind or opt for a blend.
• Apples (of any kind) are a beautiful fall option, as are pears.
• Figs, halved and baked into an upside-down cake, become beautifully jammy.
• Mangos, cut into thin spears, are a nod to tropical vibe of pineapple but with an entirely different flavor.
• Citrus of all kinds, thinly sliced with the peel on, can create a gorgeous pattern on top.
• Bonus: rhubarb. Whether or fresh or frozen, makes for a lovely pink top and a great tart contrast to the sweet cake.

Can You Use Frozen Fruit?

You can, and you don’t even need to thaw the fruit. In fact, it’s best you don’t. Just make sure the fruit is in individual pieces (don’t plop it into the pan in big clumps). Berries do really well from frozen, as do peaches, but frozen pears you might have saved from last fall or frozen bananas you never turned into banana bread, tend to get a little mushy.

Is There A Right Way To Arrange Fruit For An Upside-Down Cake?

Yes. You want to create a single, even layer no matter what kind of fruit you use. Whether you arrange the fruit into neat, concentric circles or not is entirely up to you, but remember, the bottom of the cake becomes the top you present. You can overlap the fruit slightly, but avoid stacking, as this can lead to uneven cooking.

While berries can be kept whole, items like apples and peaches need to be sliced down. The ideal thickness is about a 1/4-inch. Keep in mind that as the fruit cooks, it shrinks, so you want to cover the entire bottom of the pan as tightly as possible.