Sweetness on Sunday: Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream

Sooo, I toiled for a while on exactly how I wanted to do these...how do you do a cupcake upside down? Traditionally, the cake is baked with the pineapples & brown sugar on the bottom and then flipped over. Well, I can't do that..I've seen it done, think it looks silly. Upside down cupcake,...pshh. :) So, I came up with this. Still pretty, pineapples are on the top (although you mostly can't see them under all that yummy brown sugar buttercream) and all the lovely flavors of pineapple upside-down cake are there. YUM :D Created for my niece's graduation party---the first cake she ever made by herself when she was little was a pineapple upside down cake. Good girl ;)

For Cupcake:
Preheat oven to 350○ & prepare cupcake pan with pretty liners!

Yellow cake mix
Eggs and vegetable oil in amounts called for on cake mix package
1 (20 oz) can pineapple crushed pineapple in juice
handful marachino cherries, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

•Separate pineapple chunks from juice. Set aside pineapple chunks in a small strainer.
•In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt together butter and brown sugar until smooth.
•Using 1 cup of pineapple juice in place of the water, prepare cake mix per box instructions. Bake for 5 minutes, just to barely set batter. Pull cupcakes out, and gently top each with a few pineapple chunks and chopped cherries. Pieces should sink in a bit but not all the way to the bottom. Drizzle a good amount of the brown sugar syrup over each cupcake. Return to oven and bake for another 20-22 minutes, until toothpick comes out mostly clean. Set aside to cool.

For Frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tblsp whipping cream

In mixer, combine first three ingredients, then alternately add powdered sugar and whipping cream until smooth and fluffy.

Frost and eat! Mmm..brown sugar buttercream is my new favorite. Must think of new cupcake flavors to use this with :)

Until next time...