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Forty-eight cupcakes down,
LOTS more to go! |
A SPECIAL
birthday celebration is in the offing—my mom turns 90 on 4/28/15—so I’m gearing
up for cupcake and party production. I plan to make LOTS of freshly-baked
cupcakes on the day before the party but these particular cupcakes can be made
ahead and frozen. That means that I’ll have time to also get ready for a casual
supper following the party (on 4/28/15 we’ll definitely be eating dessert
before supper).
In the next
few days I’ll chronicle party preparation + include a post of the birthday celebration . . . as 90 is definitely a milestone.
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| My mom -- Phyllis Newell. |
Pineapple
Upside-down Cupcakes Makes 14 standard
sized cupcakes
I recommend silicon bakeware for these cupcakes -- see notes about its usage below.
For the batter:
6 tablespoons (¾ stick butter)
½ cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
For the pineapple topping:
8 tablespoons butter
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons light brown
sugar, tightly packed
8 maraschino cherries (or could substitute dried cranberries and chopped pecans for the
cherries)
8 pineapple rings (about ⅞ of a 20-oz.
can)
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. For the batter:
a. Place the butter and milk for the batter in a
small saucepan over medium heat
(ingredients could also be microwaved).
b. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally,
until the butter melts, then cool.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the pineapple topping:
a. Into each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan, add ½
tablespoon of unmelted butter, then evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
over the bottom.
b. Place the pan in the oven until the butter
melts, about 3 minutes.
c. Halve each maraschino cherry, then cut the
pineapple rings into quarters.
d. Place a cherry half, sliced side up, in the
center of each cup and lay a pineapple quarter on each side.
e. Press the fruit gently down into the
butter-sugar mixture, then set the prepared pan aside.
4. Finish making the batter:
a. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour,
baking powder, and salt, and stir the ingredients with a fork until they’re
evenly blended.
b. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs,
sugar and vanilla.
c. Alternately add the flour mixture and
milk-butter mixture, beginning with and ending with flour; combine the
ingredients into a smooth batter.
5. Pour the batter into the muffin pan, dividing
it evenly among all the cups (about ¼ cup batter per muffin cup).
6. Bake the cupcakes until they’re lightly
browned and slightly dry around the edges, about 25 minutes.
7. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5
minutes. Use a table knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges of
the pan.
8. Transfer the pan to a coolingrack to cool for 5
minutes. Use a table knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and
bottom of the pan, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the pan,
turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet, place cookie sheet on a cooling
rack and cool completely.
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| To depan slightly cooled cupcakes: Place a baking sheet on top of the muffin/cupcake pan that is sitting on a cooling rack . . . |
 |
| . . . then flip upside down and remove cooling rack. |
 |
| The beauty of using a silicon muffin/cupcake pans is that the cupcakes fall right out . . . and if they don't, simple press the bottom of those that are resisting. |
ABOUT SILICON BAKEWARE — It is designed to be non-stick, which makes it an excellent choice for baking cupcakes and muffins. The bakeware is non-stick because it doesn’t absorb any oils or
grease – it leaves them on the surface, which helps foods to simply lift out of
the pan with the slickness of the oil. The oils cling to the silicone, which
means that even after washing, a small amount of grease may remain, which
causes a tacky, almost sticky feel. Consequently
silicone DOESN’T need extra oil.
In fact, it’s this adding of extra oil that
makes silicone somewhat difficult to clean. So, how should it be cleaned?
*Wash silicone bakeware in hot water with a
good quality dishwashing soap or liquid – one that’s
designed to cut through grease.
*Don’t dry your bakeware – leave it slightly wet for now.
*Feel around the pan with your fingers for any
areas that are obviously still greasy, and apply a thick covering of baking
soda to each oily area. Use a soft dishcloth to gently massage the
baking soda, mixing it with the water that’s still in the pan to create a
thick, creamy paste. Work this paste into the greasy areas of the silicone.
Don’t be tempted to use an old toothbrush or anything that could scrape the
silicone as this will remove the non-stick covering! While baking soda is
technically an abrasive, it’s mild enough that it won’t do any damage to your
bakeware. Leave the baking soda to dry completely on the
pan – this could take a few hours depending on how thick a covering you’ve put
on. Fill your sink with hot water and dishwashing
soap once more, and give the bakeware a final wash, ensuring you remove all of
the dried paste. Dry the pan and feel for any greasy leftovers; repeat steps as
needed if grease remains.
Recipe without photos . . .
Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes Makes 14 standard sized cupcakes
For the batter:
6 tablespoons (¾ stick butter)
½ cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
For the pineapple topping:
8 tablespoons butter
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
8 maraschino cherries (or could substitute dried cranberries and chopped pecans for the cherries)
8 pineapple rings (about ⅞ of a 20-oz. can)
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. For the batter:
a. Place the butter and milk for the batter in a small saucepan over medium heat (ingredients could also be microwaved).
b. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, then cool.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the pineapple topping:
a. Into each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan, add ½ tablespoon of unmelted butter, then evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over the bottom.
b. Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts, about 3 minutes.
c. Halve each maraschino cherry, then cut the pineapple rings into quarters.
d. Place a cherry half, sliced side up, in the center of each cup and lay a pineapple quarter on each side.
e. Press the fruit gently down into the butter-sugar mixture, then set the prepared pan aside.
4. Finish making the batter:
a. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir the ingredients with a fork until they’re evenly blended.
b. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla.
c. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk-butter mixture, beginning with and ending with flour; combine the ingredients into a smooth batter.
5. Pour the batter into the muffin pan, dividing it evenly among all the cups (about ¼ cup batter per muffin cup).
6. Bake the cupcakes until they’re lightly browned and slightly dry around the edges, about 25 minutes.
7. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use a table knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges of the pan.
8. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use a table knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the pan, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the pan, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet, place cookie sheet on a cooling rack and cool completely.
