topsy turvy

One of my favorite comfort food desserts is pineapple upside-down cake, well it’s actually a toss-up between that and my famous carrot cake.

For their graduation luncheon, the teens in last week’s class requested  “cake, cupcakes, pineapple upside-down cake, macarons, and ‘something’ chocolate”. 

After compiling all of their suggestions, I settled on pineapple upside-down cupcakes and macarons filled with chocolate ganache.  The easy cupcakes are here today and the much more complicated and patience-needed macarons will be posted on Tuesday.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

Batter
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
9 maraschino cherries, cut in half
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple rings, each ring quartered

Begin Batter: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, then transfer the mixture to a small bowl to cool.

Topping: Into each cup of three 6-cup muffin pans, place 1/2 tablespoon of the melted butter, then evenly sprinkle 1 packed tablespoon of brown sugar over the bottom.  Place the pan in preheated oven until the butter and sugar “become one”, about 3 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Halve each maraschino cherry, then cut the pineapple rings into quarters. Place a cherry half, sliced side up, in the center of each cup and lay three pineapple quarters on each side, around the cherry. Press the fruit gently down into the butter-sugar mixture, then set the prepared pan aside.

Finish Batter: In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, until evenly blended.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Add the cooled milk-butter mixture and stir well to combine the ingredients into a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the muffin pan, dividing evenly between the muffin cups. Bake the cupcakes until they’re lightly browned, dry around the edges, and pull away from the pan slightly, about 25 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for only 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the pan, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the pan, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet, then transfer them back to the rack to cool completely.

Makes 18 cupcakes