Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

This summer is busy.  Right now I am writing this post next to the pool-- sounds great, right? In reality I am watching a 5 year old swim class that C is taking, so it's not as cool as it sounds. :) We've been so occupied that June has flown by, which is good and bad-- we are all happy with the fun things we've been doing but it's hard to believe that summer is almost halfway over!

Of course, one of the things I love about summer is having all my family in town for the Fourth of July-- and trying all kinds of new recipes for them. I made these baby cakes this week for the first time. They are so cute! It's nice too because everyone gets their own cherry, which is always the best part of pineapple upside down cake. The hardest part of this recipe is getting the cupcakes out of the pan-- I would recommend running a sharp knife around the edges or using a toothpick to loosen up edges before you flip the pan-- otherwise they stick, and you ending up flinging them all over the kitchen on accident (not that I did that or anything). 

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

From 128 St Johns: http://www.128johnst.com/blog/pineapple-upside-down-cupcake

Makes 12 cupcakes 

Ingredients: Batter

6 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

Ingredients: Topping

6 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

12 maraschino cherries

12 rings of canned pineapple 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cupcake pan with cooking spray- be sure you get all the surfaces of each well. 

In the prepared pan, place 1/2 Tbsp butter and 1Tbsp brown sugar. Put the pan in the oven as it heats-- allow the butter to melt (about 5 min). Remove from oven and set aside. 

Place 6 Tbsp of butter and the milk in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool. 

In the cupcake pan, place a cherry in the middle of each well, then arrange a pineapple ring around the cherry. You will probably have to cut the ring to make it fit in the bottom of the cupcake well. Push the cherry and the pineapple lightly to the bottom of the cupcake well. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. 

Alternate adding the warm milk/butter and the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary and beat until smooth. 

Divide the batter between the cupcake wells-- this batter was very thin, so I put it in a liquid measuring cup and poured it into the wells. They will be very full, but it's ok-- the cake doesn't rise a whole bunch. 

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. 

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pans for 5-7 minutes, then run the edge of a sharp knife around the edge of each cake, or use a toothpick to loosen the edges. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack or other flat surface.