Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

[Channeling Michael from the Office] "There has been....a MURDER!!!"

This weekend Max and I went to a murder mystery.  It was set in the 1920s, so me and Max got to dress up fancy and make some Prohibition era cocktails.  I was Torchy, the lounge singer, and Max was Ernie G. Ambler.

We wanted to stay true to the times, so I searched foods that were popular in the '20s.  Apparently jello molds were a big hit, but I was not really interested in making one of those.  Another popular dessert choice was Pineapple Upside Down Cake.  That sounded much more interesting.  Deviled eggs were also a big hit in the '20s, so Max whipped up a batch of those and everyone loved them.

Since I thought individual sizes would be much more manageable for a party, I found this recipe for mini pineapple upside down cakes.  Enjoy!!

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
from: AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 (20 ounce) cans sliced pineapple (save the juice)
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 24 maraschino cherries

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter; mix well. Spoon into 24 greased muffin cups. Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Trim pineapple to fit the muffin cups; place one ring in each cup.  Place one cherry in the center of the pineapple ring.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oils and 1-1/4 cups of the reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Spoon over pineapple, filling each cup two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
3. Wait 3-5 minutes.  Run a knife around the cake to loosen it.  Place a cooling rack on top of the muffin pan and then invert to free the cakes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

So after my long hiatus, I'm going to update already!  Its nice to be baking and creating again.  I've been cooking dinners for my family almost every night and I've been experimenting with healthy desserts.  


I've been trying to create less of me, but I can't stop baking!  So far, I've made low-fat banana muffins and this delicious strawberry-rhubarb crisp.  


I've never made anything with rhubarb before and, I hate to admit this, but I'm pretty sure I've never even eaten rhubarb before.  I'm glad to report that I loved it!  It was tart and soft, not what I expected at all.  Rhubarb is pretty seasonal, so make this while its still around!


Sorry for the lack of pics lately, I keep eating the dessert before I get a chance to take a picture.  I'm not crazy about pictures of half eaten desserts...


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
From: Cooking Light

• Ingredients

Filling:

• 6 cups (1/2-inch) slices rhubarb (about 2 pounds)
• 2 1/2 cups halved strawberries
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray

Topping:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup regular oats
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

• Preparation
• 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. To prepare filling, combine the first 6 ingredients. Spoon into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
  3. To prepare topping, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (including salt) in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over filling. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

So...I haven't updated in forever.

Since the last time I updated, I moved back to New Hampshire and am living in my parents' basement with Max.  All of my baking things are in boxes and...(sorry mom) my parents' kitchen is lacking many of the things I usually use.  There is a great gas oven/stove in their kitchen, but I got so used to my other itty-bitty oven that most of the things that I've baked so far have looked...weird.  Things taste great, just aren't pretty at all.

So, to the recipe.  My grandparents came over the other day and my mom is the queen of baking from boxes.  Not that their is anything wrong with that!  Every time we have people over, she makes a cake.  It became a joke when Max and I were dating that she would make a cake every time he came over.

Anyways, my mom wanted to make a red velvet cake.  Its not my favorite cake (I know! sorry!!!), but I do love the cream cheese frosting that accompanies it.  Every cream cheese frosting that I have had from a tub is too sweet and lacks that real cream cheese tang.  So, I convinced my mom that it was a good idea to let me make a frosting for her boxed cake (again, nothing against boxed desserts!).  Not sure why it took convincing, but she was hesitant.

This frosting is amazing.  It is nice and tangy, not too sweet.  I hope that you take the 5 minutes to make this frosting for your next cake, whether it is from a box or not.

Cream Cheese Frosting
from: All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.
2. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.