Mini Strawberry Upside Down Cakes

Take advantage of juicy and flavorful summertime strawberries! These Mini Strawberry Upside Down Cakes are a berry-filled take on pineapple upside down cake that are perfect for summertime!

Strawberry Upside Down Cakes

If you love pineapple upside down cake, you are going to absolutely love strawberry upside down cake! I made these in mini portions using a muffin tin because, not only are they totally adorable, but they are the perfect portion of cake!

The strawberry layer on top (baked on bottom) makes these super moist and infused with a delightful fruity flavor. Just like a typical upside down cake these mini cakes get inverted to show the delicious fruit layer on top!

I highly recommend making these mini cakes during the summertime when bright red strawberries are in season, but no matter what time of year you are making these, they will be amazing. The beautiful red color makes these great for 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day or even Valentine’s Day!

Serve them warm with a scoop of ice cream for a sweet and tasty treat!

If you love this recipe then give my Mini Peach Upside Down Cakes a try!

ingredients needed

• Cold Butter & Brown Sugar: A little cold butter and brown sugar will go into the muffin tin first to help caramelize the strawberry layer on the bottom of these mini cakes!
• Strawberries: Some thinly sliced strawberries will be baked on the bottom to create the upside down cakes. Dice up the rest of the strawberries and add them to the cake batter for extra strawberry flavor!
• Softened Butter: In the cake batter, be sure to use room temperature butter! I love using softened butter versus melted butter in my cake batters for extra lift and crumb.
• Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar: Both regular granulated sugar and brown sugar are added to make these mini cakes nice and sweet.
• Egg: Egg adds structure and helps the cakes rise in the oven.
• Almond Extract: Almond extract is added for some flavor! I like almond extract in these because it goes really well with the strawberry flavor. Feel free to add vanilla extract instead.
• All-Purpose Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or for gluten-free strawberry upside down cakes, use a gluten-free 1 to 1 replacement flour.
• Baking Powder: To help these cakes rise in the oven!
• Salt: A bit of salt is important to balance all of the flavors.
• Cinnamon: For extra flavor!
• Milk: Milk is the liquid in these mini cakes that will make them moist and tender. I used whole milk.

how to make mini strawberry upside down cakes

1. Preheat & Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup light brown sugar between the 12 muffin tins. I did this by cutting the butter into 12 little cubes.

2. Add Strawberries: Layer the bottom of each muffin tin with sliced strawberries. I did about 3 slices in each. Set aside and start working on your batter.

3. Cream the Butter: Add 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of light brown sugar to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream for 3 minutes or until lighter in color and fluffy.

4. Add Egg & Extract: Add in egg and almond extract and mix until combined.
5. Add Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Slow add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk.

6. Add Diced Strawberries: Fold in the leftover diced strawberries by hand. Make sure not to over mix.

7. Divide into Muffin Tin: Divide the batter between the muffin tin.

8. Bake: Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the cakes look golden brown and set.

9. Cool: Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully flip the tray to release them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Serve: Serve them warm with shopped cream and a scoop of ice cream! Enjoy!

tips for success

• Don’t over mix the batter! Once the flour goes into the cake batter, be sure not to over mix. Only mix until all of the ingredients are combined and no more! Over mixing will cause a dense and tough cake!
• Cool before flipping! Make sure to let the cakes cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before flipping them onto the cooling rack! This will allow the strawberries to set in place before inverting. But don’t wait too long either! They need to be warm to release from the pan, too.
• Use fresh strawberries! Unfortunately frozen strawberries won’t work in this mini strawberry upside down cakes recipe. You need fresh strawberries for just the right amount of moisture!

More Dessert Recipes to Try

• Mini Strawberry Shortcakes
• Mini Peach Upside Down Cakes
• Blackberry Crisp
• Mini Cheesecake Cupcakes
• Strawberry Oatmeal Bars