A classic for a reason, these mini vegan pineapple upside down cakes still have that sugary caramel crust, fruity pineapple, amber cherries and the easiest vegan cake mix!

I had so much trouble trying not to eat all these pineapple upside down cakes about 10 minutes after they came out of the oven.  Ten minutes being the requisite time to enjoy warm cake but not burn my mouth to oblivion on the hot caramel.  Because that’s the thing.  Cake batter, fruit AND caramel all cooking at the same time equals the most intoxicating baking smell.  I’ve never photographed anything quicker.

Pineapple upside down cake became popular in the 1920’s when Dole sponsored a contest for pineapple recipes.  But it actually dates back to the 1800’s and was more commonly referred to as skillet cakes. This was because ovens have not always been common or reliable and so skillet cakes were born of practicality – and the desire for something sweet of course 😉

And how you can beat the glossy pineapple-infused jammy caramel on top of a fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth vegan cake?

And also, isn’t everything just a little bit better when it’s miniature?

How to make an upside down cake

We start with the caramel.  Which is nothing more than boiling together sugar and water until it turns a lovely golden caramel colour.  Keep your eye on it while it boils then carefully pour it into your greased tin.  I’ve used a deep muffin tin sprayed with oil.  You want to pour enough caramel into each muffin hole to cover the bottom tin.

Tip: if you have any leftover caramel in the saucepan, don’t pour it down the sink as it is!!  Add plenty of water to the pan and reboil.  You can do the same if you have any set caramel in the pan, boiling plenty of water with it will loosen it and then you can tip it all safely down the sink.

Drain the tinned pineapple rings and place one ring in the bottom of each muffin hole.  You might need to cut the pineapple rings to snugly fit the tin.  You can also use fresh pineapple – peel, cut into rings and remove the hard, woody core.

Place half a maraschino cherry in the centre of the rings, cut side facing towards you.

The cake batter is simply mixing the wet with the dry ingredients which is then poured into the muffin tin.  Fill each hole roughly 2/3 full.

Tip: if you’ve had to cut your pineapple rings to fit the tin you can add any trimming to the cake mix.  My trimmings didn’t make it that far as I have a pair of pineapple lovers (though make sure the pineapple is in juice not syrup if giving to pets!)

Bake the little cakes for 25 minutes.

Turning out your pineapple upside down cakes

Use a knife to loosen the edges of the cake.  Place a cooling rack on the top of the muffin pan and in one motion flip both the rack and pan upside down onto a large baking sheet.  You might need to tap or bang the muffin tin for any stragglers!

Storing your mini cakes

Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.  These little cakes keep incredibly moist for a few days.  So far I’ve not tried freezing them as they’re just too delicious and stay so fresh tasting that they don’t make it to the freezer!

Looking for even more vegan mini dessert ideas?  Try these:

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Lemon Drizzle Mini Loaf Cakes

Vegan Jaffa Cakes

Strawberry Cheesecakes

Chocolate Orange Spice Mini Loaf Cakes

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