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This Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a single serving dessert made with a buttery cake topped with caramelized pineapple and a cherry. It’s easy to make and delivers the classic flavor of a traditional upside down cake.
Featured Comment
“I made this cake for dessert it was perfect! Recipe was very easy to follow. The cake was flavorful and I loved the texture.”
– Judyann
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfectly Portioned: A single serving cake with no leftovers.
- Simple & Stunning: Caramelized fruit topping looks and tastes great.
- Quick & Easy: Easy steps for a fast, homemade dessert.
- Classic Flavor: Buttery cake and sweet fruit for a nostalgic treat.
- Easily Doubles: Double the ingredients to make two cakes.
This Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake is one of my favorite little desserts. It’s baked with a sweet slice of pineapple and a cherry sitting in a caramelized brown sugar and butter layer that becomes the topping when flipped. The fruit creates a beautiful golden finish, and underneath is a soft, buttery cake that’s full of flavor.
If you love upside down cakes, be sure to try our mini banana upside down cake too – and if you’re looking for more mini cake recipes, try our carrot cake for one, small white cake, small yellow cake, individual chocolate lava cake, and mini Italian cream cake.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small pineapple upside down cake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Butter: Use 2 tablespoons of salted butter. Melt 1 tablespoon with brown sugar for the topping, and use the other tablespoon, softened, in the cake batter.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a deep, caramel-like flavor to the topping. Make your own with our homemade brown sugar recipe, if needed.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake.
- Pineapple Slice: Use 1 fresh or canned slice. Leftovers? Try them in ambrosia for one, a tropical smoothie, or as a topping for broiled chicken.
- Maraschino Cherry: Adds a classic look and pop of flavor. Enjoy extra cherries on our single serving vanilla ice cream or a strawberry milkshake.
- Egg Yolk: Just one yolk adds richness and structure. Save the egg white for small batch coconut macaroons or small batch flourless chocolate cookies.
- Vanilla Extract: Boosts the overall flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the cake.
- Baking Powder: Helps the cake rise and become fluffy.
- Salt: A pinch brings out all the flavors.
- Milk: Whole milk gives the best texture, but any milk works – even soy or almond.
Recipe Variations
Change up the flavor of this individual cake by swapping the pineapple slice for one of these options:
- Mango: Use mango slices for a bright, tropical flavor.
- Berries: Try blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries for a tart, fruity version.
- Apple: Use thin apple slices for a warm, fall-inspired cake.
- Pear & Chocolate: Add thin pear slices and a few chocolate chips for a rich, elegant option.
- Peach: Use peach slices for a fruity twist.
How To Make A Pineapple Upside Down Cake
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a mini pineapple upside down cake. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar until combined.
- Pour the mixture into a buttered 10-ounce oven-safe ramekin. Place the pineapple slice on top and set the cherry in the center.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cake batter ingredients until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the fruit and bake for 30 minutes.
- To flip the pineapple upside down cake, let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Place a plate over the ramekin, hold both together, and carefully flip. Lift off the ramekin, the cake should release onto the plate. Use oven mitts if the ramekin is still warm.
Expert Tips
- Butter the ramekin well: Helps the cake release easily after baking.
- Neatly arrange the fruit: For a clean, attractive look when flipped.
- Check for doneness: A toothpick should come out clean.
- Cool before flipping: Let the cake sit for 10–15 minutes to set.
- Serve warm: Best flavor and texture when served shortly after baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 10-ounce oven-safe ramekin is ideal for this recipe.
Yes, but it’s best enjoyed the day it’s made. Store at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Yes, double all ingredients and bake in two 10-ounce ramekins or one 5×5-inch baking dish.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
RELATED: 15 Easy Dessert Recipes For One
If you’ve tried this single serve pineapple upside down cake or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Topping
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 pineapple slice
- 1 maraschino cherry
For the Cake Batter
- 1 tablespoon salted butter -softened to room temperature
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and generously butter a 10-ounce ramekin.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the buttered 10-ounce ramekin. Place the pineapple slice on top and set the cherry in the center.
- In a separate bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir until just combined. Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter over the fruit and bake for 30 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Place a plate over the ramekin, hold both together, and carefully flip. Lift off the ramekin, the cake should release onto the plate. Use oven mitts if the ramekin is still warm.
Notes
- Butter the ramekin well: Helps the cake release easily after baking.
- Neatly arrange the fruit: For a clean, attractive look when flipped.
- Check for doneness: A toothpick should come out clean.
- Cool before flipping: Let the cake sit for 10–15 minutes to set.
- Serve warm: Best flavor and texture when served shortly after baking.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made this cake for dessert it was perfect! Recipe was very easy to follow. The cake was flavorful and I loved the texture. I will make this a regular recipe for desserts!
Made this for Christmas 🎄. Delicious 😋.
WOW this is perfection ! A bit too sweet for me ; but my kids will be delighted ! Maybe i’ll try it for me with banana instead and bit less sugar in the topping. I baked it in my toaster oven by the way.
Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear it was a hit with your kids. Using a banana and reducing the sugar in the topping sounds like a great way to adjust it to your taste. Baking it in a toaster oven is a great idea too!
Another winner! I made a double batch and baked the batter in my ODK 5″x7″ baking dish. Perfect size👌🏼
It was easy to pull together with simple ingredients I had on hand already. My husband and I enjoyed this delicious buttery cake. In fact, I added a splash of butter flavoring to intensify the flavor of the cake. I only had crushed pineapple, so I drained the equivalent of two slices. It worked just fine. In fact, there was fruit in every bite which was delightful. The self-rising flour I had worked beautifully.
I would love to find a way to incorporate the pineapple juice into the batter while maintaining the correct acidity for leavening.
Thanks Joanie ☺️
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I’m thrilled to hear you and your husband enjoyed the mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
Regarding the pineapple juice, I haven’t tried it myself. With so little milk (1 tablespoon) in the recipe, I’m not sure how substituting pineapple juice would work. If you do experiment with it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hey Joanie 👋🏼 I just made a batch of self-rising flour for your vanilla cupcakes. I’m thinking I should be use 3 TBS in place of the dry ingredients in this pineapple upside down cake. What do you think? It should work, right?
Yes, should work just fine – Enjoy!
Oh.My.Goodness. So good. I didn’t have or really want the cherries but I had some frozen cranberries. I pulled a few out and made two cakes for hubby and I. It was delicious and will always use cranberries from now on. Perfect pop of citrus against the sweet of the cake and pineapple. I might make them again tomorrow!! Love this blog!!!!
The Pineapple Upside Down Cake is Wonderful. I’ve had it twice now and neither one was bad. The measurements are right on.
If I double the recipe, do I use 1 whole egg?
No. With small batch and single serving baked goods, we recommend only using the egg yolk. The yolk and the white of the egg play very different roles in baking. This dessert needs the fat from the yolk and if you use the white, it will affect the texture of the cake.
You always just double what a recipe says, so in this case it would be two egg yolks to double the recipe and never the whites, but the whites can easily be saved to make meringue 🙂
Takes me back to memories of my mom. Definitely going to try this some day.
Can you double this easily? And can I use a small cast iron skillet instead of the Ramkin dish? Thank you.
Yes, this recipe can be doubled and a 6-inch skillet works well.