Pineapple Upside-Down Cup Cakes

By: Jodie Shield, RD

On New Year’s Day, it’s traditional to serve ham – smoked, honey baked or fresh. Any way you slice it, ham is delicious. Plus, leftover ham makes for great sandwiches. But what are you going to serve with your ham? I shared my favorite recipe for sweet potato casserole in my blog for Kmart Playdate Place. A side dish of green beans and a tossed salad will round out your meal. For dessert, I highly recommend you make Pineapple Upside-Down Cup Cakes. Just ask my beautiful daughter, Jenni. She thinks pineapple upside-down cake and ham go together just like peas and carrots! Happy New Year to you and your family. Have you made your New Year’s resolution?

Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine
• 1 package (18.5 ounces) reduced-fat yellow cake mix
• 1 large can pineapple tidbits
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 24 maraschino cherries
• Canola oil and eggs as called for on the cake mix package directions ( I used 1/3 cup of oil and 2 large egg whites for every one egg)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Melt the butter and pour a small amount in each muffin tin, just enough to cover the bottom of the tin. Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. However, instead of using water, use the reserved pineapple juice.
2. Add one tablespoon of brown sugar and about 6 pineapple tidbits to each muffin tin. Pour the cake batter into each muffin tin and fill until the batter is level with the top of the tin. Bake according to the package directions.
3. Cool about five minutes on a wire rack; then remove the cupcakes from the tins. If any of the brown sugar-pineapple mixture sticks to the muffin tin, be sure to scoop it out and add it to the cupcake. Top each upside-down cake with a cherry.

Nutrition Information (per cup cake): 220 calories, 1.5 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrate, 0.5 gram dietary fiber, 8 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 150 milligrams sodium

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