My Favorite New Dessert!!!

I LOVE to bake. Sometimes I think I should have gone to culinary school to become a professional pastry chef. As it was, I was fortunate enough to work for a small gourmet coffee shop and I was their head baker.  I loved it. It gave me a chance to experiment with some slightly more exotic to me recipes (mainly because I couldn't afford some of the ingredients on my own!). I loved getting customer reactions. My specialty became cheesecake, you know the kind that is 3 feet thick and two bites sends you over the moon.!!

Baking is still a joy to me. There is just something about mixing everything up and waiting for it finish, smelling the wonderful aromas wafting from the oven. Yum! I am always on the lookout for a new favorite treat to make my family and friends, and any odd stranger or two who is brave enough to sample something! One of the things I am really focusing on now are simple, and fast, yet really good recipes. Well I found one and I want to share it with you!! Years ago I was a mix snob, but lately I have been enjoying how easy they are to incorporate into lots of recipes. This is the most recent one I found that has made a big and favorable debut at our house.

Mini Upside Down Pineapple Cakes

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple
1/3 c butter or margarine, melted
2/3 c brown sugar
12 maraschino cherries, cut in half
1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix

Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice. I squish mine through a sieve to get every drop out I can.
Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar. Evenly divide the mixture into muffin cups that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. This will be approximately 1 tsp per cup. Place the cherries in the center of the brown sugar mixture.

Evenly divide the pineapple over the sugar mixture and around the cherries.

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions, replacing the amount of water called for with the reserved pineapple juice and water. Evenly pour the batter, about 1/4 c, into muffin cups being careful not to disturb the cherry or pineapple.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes. Loosen edges with a sharp knife. Place a cookie sheet over the whole muffin pan. Flip over and all the muffins will fall out. if any pineapple sticks slightly, and it most likely will, just remove it from the pan and replace on the muffin. Serve and enjoy!! Makes 24 servings!

I can honestly say these have become a huge hit at our church. They are just the right size to go with coffee and just enough dessert after a meal. My family loves them too!! I've made so many now I have lost count. In fact my poor muffin pans have been through overload and really need to be replaced!! LOL!!

Thanks to Dole for this amazing recipe! I found it in a magazine and just knew it would be fun and easy to make. I am thrilled with it! Hope you will be too. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe HERE!