Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Having pineapple upside down cake is like a little slice of heaven to me. Whenever I make one, I just have to share it. I can't run enough miles to compensate for that! I can walk into Panera Bread having my heart set on my favorite cinnamon crunch bagel with honey almond cream cheese, but if they have their little pineapple upside down "mini cake" all bets are off. I MUST have that delectable dish. At over 3 bucks apiece, I must not have one all the time, not to mention the additional calories eating that would include. I decided to hit my favorite inspiration spot, Pinterest, and see if I could make them myself. In my searchings, I found just what I was looking for. If you go here you can see my inspiration. And in my true fashion, I checked out their directions and modified it to what I wanted to do.

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

There are some great cakes mixes out available. They can be so fun to play with. You can use a plain yellow or white and doctor it up. I used Pillsbury's Pineapple cake mix.

My ingredients list:

Pillsbury Pineapple cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
24 maraschino cherries
Crushed Pineapple (in juice)

Directions:
 
In a small sauce pot melt the stick of butter and the brown sugar. Mix until blended well. Drain the pineapple juice from the crushed pineapples. This is what I used for my pineapple juice. Make the cake according to the package directions, replacing the pineapple juice for the water. Since I began with a pineapple cake mix, this will just make it more flavorful. You could definitely use the white or yellow mix and use pineapple juice just as effectively, or a combination of water and pineapple juice. Spray a cooking spray on the cupcake tins. I use Pam. When the butter and sugar are well mixed, drop about a tablespoon of this mixture into each cupcake tin. Place a spoonful of crushed pineapple on top of that. You can use ring pineapple, but it didn't quite fit into my cupcake pan. You can either cut it to size, or use a jumbo cupcake pan. I just used the regular size of cupcake pan. Add a spoonful of the cake mix. I can JUST get 24 out of one cake mix. It appears to be a small portion of batter. The order in the cupcake pan should be first the butter and brown sugar mixture, then pineapple, followed by the batter. Bake it according to your package directions. I baked mine for about 20 minutes at 350. Let them rest for about 10 minutes. Run the a butter knife around the edge of the cupcake. Turn your cupcakes upside down. I generally place a platter on top of my cupcake pan and then turn both pieces over. I get about 10 of them out this way and I only need to "encourage" the others out. I even put whatever pineapple didn't come out, onto the cupcake. Place the cherry on top. I push it down just a bit into that pineapple/butter/brown sugary goodness on top.

When making these the first time, I honestly didn't think they tasted that good. I ate one as soon as it cooled. They were fine, but not WOW! I took them with me the next day to school (I was subbing at my kids' school that day and thought the teachers might like a treat). During my lunch break, there was a couple left. I decided that I needed a sweet treat, too. I gotta tell you. It was like eating a different cupcake. It was so full of flavor my mouth (and belly) exploded in yumminess!!!! I have made them again for church tonight. We do this little fellowship thing after the services on Wednesday night and I like to share my goodies that way too. My recommendation would be to make them a day ahead, cover and refrigerate, then serve. I am hoping if I just refrigerate these for a little while, it will still have the same impact. I would love to know if anyone else makes these and what modifications you might use. I just love getting ideas from other people.