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Pineapple Topsy-Turvy Cakelets





We took our staff out for dinner at a fancy restaurant in town recently and I ordered the pineapple upside down cake for dessert.
It just wasn't as good as I expected but I loved their presentation of this down home dessert. So I went home and adapted my recipe to make these pretty cakelets.
They were eminently satisfying!



  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tin 341 ml/ 12 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
  • whole pecan pieces and/or maraschino cherries, halved and blotted with paper towel
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  1. Grease muffin tins well.
  2. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar.
  3. Place 1 teaspoon or so of butter/brown sugar mixture into each muffin cup and spread to cover the bottom.
  4. Arrange pineapple tidbits over butter/ brown sugar in a flower pattern around a pecan or cherry half. Set aside.
  5. Using a hand mixer, beat butter in a mixing bowl until fluffy.
  6. Add sugar l/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
  7. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
  8. Add vanilla and mix briefly.
  9. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt.
  10. Add half of the dry mixture gradually to butter/egg mixture, mixing at low speed until the flour is mixed in.
  11. Add the buttermilk and mix again.
  12. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix just until all the flour is incorporated.
  13. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately 2/3 full.
  14. Bake in 350 degree oven 30 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out dry.
  15. Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes.
  16. Lightly loosen edges of cakelets from pan and invert onto a rack.
  17. Carefully lift pan and replace any pineapple or cherry pieces that have stuck to the pan.
  18. Let cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

15 comments:

  1. These look so good-and I love that plate too!

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  2. what a fabulous way to present this traditional dessert - thank you for sharing!

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  3. This is brilliant! I love the recipe title too. Thanks for sharing this.
    Like Lynda said - I love the plate too (I have a weakness for antique china).

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  4. I love the individual servings so perfect thanks to the muffin tin!!
    Excellent to share! Thanks :)

    Jennifer

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  5. Love this idea and will definitely make. Any idea if they can be frozen? Hubby is the only one that eats dessert and don't want him eating this many at once. LOL

    Thanks again for the wonderful recipe.

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  6. Wow! It had almost forgot about pineapple upside-down cake. My mom used to make it of course. I wonder if a pineapple ring would fit in the bottom of a muffin tin. Likely not. But great idea to just arrange the tidbits in a circular pattern.

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  7. I tried the pineapple ring in the muffin tin but the muffin size was too small. It might work in those pans that make the jumbo sized muffins.
    Tracey, I'm sure these would freeze just fine.

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  8. shirley reimer bertheletteMarch 13, 2012 at 1:06 PM

    Bev,, they really looks yummy ummm!! like the individual servings too.

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  9. Thank you for sharing this!

    Bundt has a beautiful pineapple muffin tin, complete with spot for the cherry...but I have had trouble finding a good recipe that isn't too plain. From loving your other recipes, I'm sure this one will work a treat. I will definitely use it next time I bake these.

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  10. I love it! food that looks good AND tastes great! YAY...you should really take a piece to that restaurants dessert chef...Seriously...you should. let him taste how amazing it could be!

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  11. One of my favorite desserts and love the presentation. These will be a hit at the community dinner.

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  12. Yummy....I would like to make these for a crowd...how many do you think one batch serves?? Thanks!!

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  13. gnewks, If I remember right, this recipe made 12- 14 medium sized muffins

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  14. Have 6 pineapple rings sitting in my refrigerator. Checked out this recipe yesterday. Since I have only 6 rings leftover from a pizza recipe. I used 2 loaf pans. Turned out pretty good. Kept 1 for me and my daughter, shared the other upside down cake to a friend, I received a message from her right away, saying she loved it. So delicious!. Recipe is good and satisfied my cravings for an upside down cake. Thanks MGCC for all the great recipes.

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