Mini Pineapple Upside-down Cakes

Who doesn't love a little surprise every now and again? If you are anything like me then you love surprises, but only if you don't know about them. If I know there is a surprise coming, I will bug everyone in sight until I can get a hint about the surprise so that I can try and figure it out. After a few surprises and my obnoxious attempts to get hints, my friends and family have learned not to surprise me, or to keep it just that-a surprise.

These Mini Pineapple Upside-down Cakes are a nice, fun, easy surprise that everyone will love and no one will bug you about. These cakes go into the oven looking like plain Jane vanilla cupcakes, and come out of the oven to reveal their true surprise once they are flipped-a scrumptious, sweet glaze oozing over delicious pineapple pieces and one plump cherry in the middle, all over top that seemingly plain Jane cupcake. Not so plain after all, huh?

Not only are these precious mini cakes a wonderful addition to any summer cookout, but they are as delicious as they look. You might want to make double what you think people will eat because these  delights will fly off of the plate. It's hard to resist a spongy, vanilla cake with a rich butter glaze and fruit chunks on top. Who needs frosting when you can get that? Actually, I do. I love frosting; but sometimes I can take a frosting break, especially if that break involves fruit and buttery sauce.

Now that summer is in full swing and cookouts are being scheduled for weekends to come, you'll need to stock up on some new recipes to try. Be sure to add this fun surprise to your list!

Mini Pineapple Upside-down Cakes (adapted from Big Mama's Home Kitchen)
(6 mini cakes)

1 egg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp pineapple juice (from canned pineapple rings or chunks)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 can of pineapple rings or chunks
6 maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a regular size muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

To make the cake batter, add the egg, granulated sugar, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixture on high for one minute, or until ingredients are well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the egg mixture. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is incorporated. Set aside.

In a small pot, add the butter and brown sugar. Put over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Continue to stir ingredients together over heat until brown sugar is mixed into butter.

Divide the brown sugar/butter mixture between six muffin cups in the prepared muffin pan. Next, add pineapple pieces around the border and one maraschino cherry in the middle. Top the fruit with the cake batter.

Bake the mini cakes for 18-20 minutes, or when the cake turns golden brown and toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around each cake. Place a wire rack on top of the cakes and a cookie sheet underneath the cakes. Quickly flip the cakes so that the wire rack is on the bottom and is sitting on top of the cookie sheet to catch the extra juices. Let cool. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 177.8
Total Fat: 4.7 g

Cholesterol: 41.4 mg

Sodium: 17.6 mg

Total Carbs: 37.8 g

Fiber: 0.6 g

Sugars: 32.5 g

Protein: 1.9 g

Pros:

-Easy to assemble and make
-Pretty presentation
-Great for summertime potlucks and cookouts
-Delicious, classic southern dessert
-Can easily be doubled or tripled to make more servings

Cons:

-You must follow directions carefully, especially when waiting for the cakes to cool and remove from pans to ensure that they don't fall apart!

This recipe can also be found on Reading and Recipes! Check it out!