Tropical Twist Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes
Delight your guests with these Tropical Twist Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes! Caramelized brown sugar, juicy pineapple, and cherries on top make these individual cupcakes perfect for parties, brunches, or family desserts. Easy to make with a moist yellow cake base and a touch of coconut oil.
Ingredients
Method
Step 1: Prep the Pan
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 24 regular-size muffin cups with parchment paper cupcake liners. Lightly spray the liners with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Make the Topping
- In a 1-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until combined.
- Spoon about 1¼ teaspoons of the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of each liner, spreading it evenly.
- Place a cherry half cut-side up in the center of each cup.
- Cut each pineapple slice into 4 pieces. Place 2 pieces around each cherry, pressing lightly into the sugar mixture.
Step 3: Mix the Batter
- In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, reserved pineapple juice, coconut oil, and eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed until evenly combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.
Step 4: Bake & Flip
- Bake for 19–23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 5 minutes. Carefully lift the cupcakes out by the liners, then invert onto a cookie sheet or serving tray.
- Let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, carefully place each one into a fresh, decorative cupcake liner for serving.
Notes
Using Parchment Liners (I learned the hard way…)
The first time I made these, I skipped the parchment liners and just sprayed the muffin tin with non-stick spray. Go for it if you want — but for me, it was a bit of a disaster.
Between the melted brown sugar and the pineapple juice, most of the cupcakes stuck to the pan. I ended up carefully reassembling them once they were flipped. They still tasted and looked great, but it definitely wasn’t the smooth process I was hoping for.
Parchment cupcake liners eliminate that risk. The cupcakes release cleanly, the topping stays intact, and there’s no last-minute stress when it’s time to flip and serve.
