Paleo Dessert Favorite
These adorable little gluten-free desserts are like the perfect combo of a spongy upside down pineapple cake, sticky buns, and pecan pie. Well, without the pineapple flavor. They’re not overly sweet, and have just the right balance of cinnamon.
Their adorable little size makes them the perfect treat to finish off a meal, and especially perfect to serve to guests without much effort. From start to finish, they’re ready in 30 minutes, not including a little bit of cooling time to ensure you don’t burn off your tastebuds, which are essential if you want to taste how good these are.
Easy to Make Mini Cakes
Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, I make 3 pies: Pumpkin, Apple, and Pecan. The pecan is always the first one to disappear, so I will usually make 2 just to be sure everyone gets some. But the pie is labor intensive. These mini upside down cupcakes are not, so we can enjoy that flavor year-round now.
Pecan Upside Down Mini Cakes {gluten-free}
Ingredients
Pecan Topping
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/4 cup Coconut or Maple Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Cake Batter
- 1 cup (120g) sifted Cassava Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened (room temp)
- 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup Milk, of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cavity cupcake pan with parchment cupcake liners (we only use PaperChef because they are 100% non-stick with gluten-free baking). Set aside.
- Combine the butter, coconut sugar, and maple syrup of the PECAN TOPPING to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until butter is completely melted and remove from heat just when the mixture starts to boil.
- Add the pecans and cinnamon to the butter/coconut sugar mixture, stir to combine, and set aside.
- Combine the cassava flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), cream together the softened butter and coconut sugar.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and milk and mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Divide the pecan mixture evenly between the 12 cupcake liners (about 1.5 Tbsp per cupcake).
- Top pecan mixture with about 1/4 cup (per cupcake) of the cake batter. Gently press to smooth the tops.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Let cool about 5-10 minutes. Carefully remove the cupcakes one at a time and invert individually onto serving plates. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 234Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 47mgSodium 202mgCarbohydrates 22gNet Carbohydrates 21gFiber 1gSugar 12gProtein 2g