Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes 🍍✨

🍍✨ Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes: A Tropical Twist on a Classic!

Looking for a dessert that delivers all the sticky, caramelized goodness of a classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake but in a perfectly portioned, portable form? Say hello to Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes! These delightful little cakes flip the script, literally, offering a moist vanilla cake base crowned with a luscious brown sugar and butter glaze, topped with a sweet, tender pineapple ring and a cherry. They're quick, easy, and bring a ray of tropical sunshine to any occasion.

📝 The Recipe: Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

This recipe is designed to produce moist, fluffy cupcakes with a perfectly caramelized topping.

Yields: 12 standard cupcakes

Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 18-20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Topping:

$1/4$ cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
$1/2$ cup light brown sugar, packed
12 small pineapple slices (from a 20 oz can of sliced pineapple, drained), or cut rings in half if they are too large for the muffin tin.
12 maraschino cherries (from a jar, drained and patted dry with paper towel)

For the Vanilla Cupcakes:

$1/2$ cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
$3/4$ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
$1 \ 1/2$ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
$1 \ 1/2$ teaspoons baking powder
$1/4$ teaspoon salt
$1/2$ cup milk (whole milk is best), room temperature