Pineapple Upside Down Cupcake (Cake Nenas)

Usually pretty cake is linked with complicated cooking methods and also expensive ingredients.  

But this retro American dessert, pineapple upside down cake, is super easy to make!

If you use ramekin or muffin tin, the cuteness of this cake will be doubled :)  How can you resist a caramelized pineapple cupcake :)

By the way, I´ve posted the recipe of other pretty cake (mini apple rose tart) in April,  to welcome spring.  Just put it this way, I share this recipe to welcome summer :)


Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Serve: 6-12

Ingredients:

For the topping:
6 tbsp unsalted butter
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 canned pineapple or fresh pineapple (sliced)
 Maraschino cherries (*or you can use raisins, raspberry, or other fresh berry)

For the cake:
Dry ingredients:
200 gr all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
 ¼ tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
180-200 gr granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
2 egg, separated
150 ml milk or pineaple syrup or pineapple juice


Methods:
1. For the topping:

• Grease ramekins or muffin tin with butter.
• Making the caramel topping:

1. Place butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter and sugar combined then divide evenly the mixture into ramekins or muffin cups. 
2. Divide evenly brown sugar and butter into 12 greased muffin cups (which would be 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp butter into each cup) then place it in the preheated oven for 5 min until the butter melts.
   

• Arrange pineapple rings or pineapple slices over the caramel mixture then place cherries in the center of pineapple ring or in the center of muffin cup.                (*The round part of the cherry would be facing down (if you use half cherries, the cuted part would be on the top))

 2. For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 180°C and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
• Sift all the dry ingredients. Set a side.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add the egg yolks, mix well. (* Or you can add whole egg (not separated))
• Add vanilla extract or vanilla essence then mix well.
• Add some of the milk or pineapple syrup into the mixture and mix well and followed by flour then mix it until combined. Continue on doing these steps one after another until milk and flour all added into the mixture.
• In another bowl, beat the egg whites until it has a firm peak then fold it (lightly stirring up) into the cake batter using spatula until combined. Do not over stirring the batter otherwise your cake will have hard texture.
• Pour the batter over the top of pineapple, fill each cup about 3/4th full.  
• Then bake it for 20-25 minutes.  (* Insert  a skewer in the center of the cake to check if it is done. If the skewer comes out clean, your cake is done).  
• Let cake cool in baking pan for five minutes and then invert it onto serving platter.  (* If your cake has been cooled in pan more than 5 min, your cake will stick in cake pan.  Loosen the edges with a knife before flip it over onto serving platter)

 Enjoy your pretty cake :)