Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes are adorable individual desserts featuring a caramelized pineapple ring and a maraschino cherry on top of a moist, buttery cake! These miniature versions of the classic dessert are baked in muffin tins, making them perfect for serving as parties or as a simple sweet treat!

The Best Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes Recipe

These mini pineapple upside down cakes are simple, sweet and guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face! I mean, look at how cute they are! These individual treats capture all the flavors of the classic pineapple upside-down cake but in a smaller, more manageable size that’s ideal for serving at gatherings!

These mini pineapple upside down cakes are incredibly versatile, too! They can be dressed up with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Their bright, fruity flavor makes them particularly popular in the warmer months, but they actually can be made all year round!

Ingredients Needed

• Cherries: Use the classic maraschino cherries for these pineapple upside down cakes!
• Canned Pineapple Slices: I used canned pineapple slices here. They are slightly big for the bottom of the muffin tin, but I sliced a little bit out of each one so they can fit!
• Butter: You need cold butter for the bottom of the muffin tins. This will create a caramel-like layer that adds flavor! You will also need room temperature butter for the batter!
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar goes in with the cold butter layer and is also added to the cake batter.
• Granulated Sugar: Add granulated sugar as well to the cake batter, for extra sweetness!
• Egg: Egg helps to add structure and helps the cakes rise in the oven!
• Vanilla: For extra flavor.
• Flour: All-purpose flour works great here! For gluten-free mini pineapple upside down cakes, use a 1 to 1 gluten-free replacement flour!
• Salt: To balance out all the flavors.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder also helps the cakes rise in the oven!
• Milk: For moisture!

How to Make mini pineapple upside down cakes

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

3. Prep Pineapple: Cut a piece out of each pineapple slice. This will make the pineapple smaller so that it can fit into the muffin tin. Alternatively, you can use the canned pineapple chunks or even cube up the pineapple slice instead.

4. Add Pineapple to Muffin Tin: Divide the pineapple rounds among the muffin tins. Top each pineapple with a cherry, and set aside.

5. Cream the Butter: Next, add 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup light brown sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream for 3 minutes or until lighter in color and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
6. Add Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternating with the milk.

7. Place Batter into Muffin Tin: Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tin.
8. Bake: Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the cakes look golden brown and set.

9. Cool & Flip Cakes: Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the sides of each cake to help it release, then use a spoon to scoop it our then invert it onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining cakes. A lot of times, the cherries will sink down a bit, so I add another one to the top!
10. Serve: Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream and enjoy!

Tips for Success

• Don’t over mix the batter! Once the flour goes into the batter, make sure not to over mix! Over mixing cake batter can cause dense and tough cakes.
• Cool before flipping! Make sure to let these little cakes cool a little bit before flipping them out of the pan! This will allow the pineapple on the top to set. Don’t wait too long though, they need to be warm to properly release from the muffin tin!
• Use fresh or canned pineapple! Canned pineapple has just the right amount of sweetness and tartness to it. Fresh pineapple would also work though! It will just require a little bit more effort to slice it properly!

More Easy Desserts to Try

• Cheesecake Cupcakes
• Oreo Truffles
• No Bake Cheesecake Jars
• Triple Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes
• Apple Upside Down Cake