Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes
Source: based on Mom's Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large can pineapple slices, juice reserved
5 maraschino cherries, cut in half

Use regular batter, or *alternate banana cake batter below

2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
6 T juice from fruit
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Grease or spray 10 muffin tins. Melt butter and brown sugar together. Divide butter sugar mixture evenly among 10 tins.
Cut a 1/2 inch chunk out of 10 pineapple slices and place the cut slices over the butter/sugar mixture in the tins. They should lie flat in the pan and look like a "whole" ring again. Place a cherry half in the middle of each pineapple slice.
Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored (5 min). Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in juice and vanilla all at once. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, beat into batter all at once. Place about 1/3 - 1/2 cup batter over each pineapple slice.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Let cool for 20 minutes, then invert over a rack or plate. Do not remove for several minutes so all the butter/sugar drains onto cake.

*alternate topping using crushed pineapple:
Melt butter and brown sugar in saucepan. Cook over low heat until well blended, then stir in drained crushed pineapple, reserving juice. Divide evenly among tins along with cherry piece. Top with batter and bake as above.
This can also be made in mini-muffin tins.


*Alternate Banana Cake batter
Source: Cooking light

optional: 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 banana)
2 T vegetable oil
1 large egg

optional: combine coconut with pineapple topping
Whisk together dry ingredients. Combine reserved juice, banana, oil, and egg, stirring with a whisk. Add pineapple juice mixture to flour mixture, stirring until combined. Pour batter over topping. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert onto a wire rack.


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