Day 52 - Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Sunday, June 10, 2012

This is my first post in June [actually my first post in a while], and I cannot believe it's almost SUMMER! Time has just been flying and I haven't been doing too much baking lately. I have however, made two ice cream cakes so far for family parties and I have a feeling I will be making many more this summer!

I recently found some baking inspiration while watching Giada at Home, one of my favorite cooking shows.  In the episode, Giada made "Mini Pineapple Cakes." They cakes looked awesome, and nothing says summer like a juicy pineapple. I have never really been a fan of traditional pineapple upside down cake, but these mini's looked exceptionally moist and delicious; and if I'm being honest, I am a sucker for any "mini" dessert!

I started by making the pineapple mixture that goes at the bottom [which at some point turns into the top] of the cake pan. Giada actually used a mini bunt pan, but since I don't have one, I improvised with a cupcake pan. I chopped up fresh pineapple and sauteed it with brown sugar, butter, and pineapple juice, until most of the liquid evaporates and the mixture turns slightly brown.

Pineapple Cooking

Next, I made the cake batter which is actually made with one box of white cake mix, pineapple juice, eggs, oil, vanilla, and water. The cake batter is poured over the pineapple mixture, and the cakes bake for about 25 minutes.

I let the cupcakes cool for about 15 minutes after they came out of the oven, and then covered the pan with parchment paper and a cookie sheet to flip the cakes over. Once the cakes are flipped, they have to sit for an hour before I can unveil the cakes. Let me tell you that an hour has never felt longer! 

After the hour was up, I lifted the cupcake pan to find that all of the cakes were stuck [and yes, I buttered and floured the pans!] I ended up having to use a butter knife to get the cakes out which made them look… let's just say less then perfect.

The good news is that the cakes were delicious! They were perfectly sweet and super moist! I may have to invest in mini bunt pans because I'll definitely be making these again.