I have a super fun recipe for you today – Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes Recipe. I think it is safe to say that we love cupcakes around here.
This is a great recipe, because you get the deliciousness of pineapple upside down cake but in the convenience of cupcakes.
They are perfect to serve on a warm summer or day, a Baby Shower brunch a Mother’s day brunch, or just because.
Make sure you try some of our delicious cupcakes. I know you will find more your family will love. You may even like this Pineapple Casserole Recipe, Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes or Pineapple Fluff.
What are Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes?
If you love pineapple upside cake, you are going to love these easy pineapple upside down cupcakes. They have all the flavors of the traditional cake but they are in a cupcake form!
For these pineapple upside down cupcake, we’re starting with a delicious yellow cupcake and we top each one with brown sugar, butter, pineapple and cherry!
Ingredients
- Canned Pineapples
- Yellow Cake Mix
- Vegetable Oil
- Pineapple Juice
- Eggs
- Melted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Maraschino Cherries
This is all you need to make these delicious and easy upside down pineapple cupcake recipe. Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.
Step 2 – Then remove the pineapple from the can and cut the pineapple rings into quarters.
Step 3 – Next combine the cake mix, pineapple juice, oil and eggs in a mixing bowl and beat on low until incorporated. I used a hand held mixer for this step but a stand up mixer would work great too!
Step 4 – In a separate large bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar and stir by hand until well blended. Then spoon approximately 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar butter mixture into each cup of the muffin tin.
Step 5 – Place the pineapple chunks in a circle around bottom with a maraschino cherry in center. Then fill each cup 2/3 full with the cake batter.
- Step 6 – After all the muffin tins have been assembled, bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Step 7 – After the cook time, leave the cooled cupcakes for at least 5 minutes in the pan.
Recipe Tips
- For the Pineapple, I like to use a pineapple slice as I find that they are easier to drain and work with. You can also use canned pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple as well. Just make sure that either are well drained before place them in the muffin cups.
- Cookie Scoop – I use a cookie scoop to fill the cupcake liners with the cake batter. I find that this really helps speed up that process and makes sure I don’t overfill the cupcake tins. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, a ¼ cup works great for filling the muffin tins too.
- Combining Ingredients – Using a electric mixer or stand up mixer makes making the cake batter quick and easy.
- Rest Cupcakes – Don’t forget to allow them to sit for 5 minutes before attempting to remove from the pan. They will fall apart if you try to remove them right out of the oven.
How to Get Out of the Cupcake Tin
The main problem you might have with these is getting the cupcakes out of your cupcake pan. Some people don’t have problems, but to prevent any frustration, I highly recommend buying a 12 cup silicone muffin pan.
They make baking a breeze and everything you bake in them comes out perfectly for stress free baking. If you use a regular muffin pan, run a butter knife around edges of each cup, Then invert onto baking sheet to remove cupcakes.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on the baking sheet lined with waxed paper (for easy clean up) before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer these to be made the day that they are going to be served but you can definitely make them 1 day ahead of time as well.
If you make ahead of time, I recommend making them based on the recipe. Let them cool at room temperature and then store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Once these cupcakes have cooled at room temperature, I store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. As long as they are stored correctly, these cupcakes should last up to 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
I have made these plenty of times and have learned to never add any extra liquid to the cake batter. Ensure that you are preparing the cake mix based on the package instructions on the back and just replace the water with pineapple juice.
Also, make sure that the pineapple is well drained before adding the pineapple to the muffin tins.
More Cupcake Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make these Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes Recipe, please leave us a comment.
Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 20 oz canned Pineapples
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Pineapple Juice
- 3 Eggs
- â…“ cup melted Butter
- â…” cup Brown Sugar
- 24 Marischino Cherries
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat two standard 12-cup muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- Drain the pineapple rings, reserving 1 cup of the pineapple juice for the cake batter. Cut each pineapple ring into quarters.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, vegetable oil, pineapple juice, and eggs until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until well combined.
- Spoon 2 teaspoons of the butter mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup.
- Arrange 4 pineapple pieces in a circle over the brown sugar mixture and place 1 maraschino cherry in the center.
- Fill each muffin cup about ? full with the cake batter.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Carefully run a butter knife around the edges of each cupcake to loosen them. Place a baking sheet or cooling rack over the muffin pan and carefully invert the pan to release the cupcakes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to reserve the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple before draining.
- Do not let the cupcakes cool in the pan for more than 5–10 minutes, or the caramelized topping may begin to stick.
- If using a 15.25-ounce cake mix (instead of older 18.25-ounce mixes), this recipe still works well as written.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Can you freeze these?
I haven’t tried that yet.
I made these and they were delicious! I had several eat more than one! So good! I did double the brown sugar and butter because I didn’t have enough for all 24 cupcakes!
Love this recipe – makes for such an easier slice of pineapple upside down cake.
My son-in-law LOVES pineapple upside down cake! I always make our children their favorite cake for their birthday’s. So, his birthday is Saturday & I’m going to make his this year with this recipe! Prayerfully they turn out great! Thanks for the cupcake idea for this amazing cake!
I also want to know how much of the pineapple juice to use as it is not stated in the recipe??
Also can these be made in cupcake holders-paper or the silicon type?
TU, Mary
Mary – I’m so sorry about that – It’s 1 cup of Pineapple Juice for this recipe. I replace the water needed for the cake mix with pineapple juice instead and it works great! I have updated the recipe on this post.
Can’t wait to try these. But how much pineapple juice is needed? The recipe doesn’t say. Thank you ?
1 cup of Pineapple Juice is needed for this recipe. I use Pineapple Juice instead of the water amount listed on the cake mix. I have updated the recipe on the post. Thank you!
How much pineapple juice do you add? The whole can? It doesn’t say how much.thanks.