Pineapple Jack O'Lantern

I love this idea from BHG.com  - carve a jack o'lantern face into a pineapple instead of a pumpkin. How cute would this be on a Halloween dinner table or dessert bar at a party? Now it didn't turn out exactly like their pictures but that's only because I've never done it before and learned a couple things - if I wanted to carve a second pineapple it would be much better the next time around! 

1. Draw the face on with a marker, cut on the lines

2. Put the pineapple on a plate or something to catch the juices.  Cut off the top and hollow out most of the pineapple meat - just like if you were doing a pumpkins push the carved pieces out (eyes, nose, and mouth). 

3. Insert a candle

4. Replace the top. 

1) they make it look very easy to remove the pineapple meat from inside the pineapple but it wasn't. I ended up hacking away at it with a knife and then scraping with a big spoon. Be forewarned that it isn't coming out in one pretty piece hahah. Doesn't matter in the long run, but don't want you to be surprised or frustrated.

2) second thing is I made the eyes and nose too close together - it would have been fine on a smooth pumpkin but the bumps in the pineapple skin caused the cuts between the eyes and nose to open up even tho I didn't cut thru the space between them. Does that make sense? Whether it does or doesn't trust me and space the eyes and nose farther apart hahahah. 

bhg 10/19 click here

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Made these for my niece's birthday (she's not a traditional cake or frosting lover, and usually requests pineapple upside down cake - click here for the bundt cake I made her last year); used my normal recipe but turned them into little mini cakes. So easy, pretty, moist - they transport really well, and having them mini makes it seem like you aren't eating as much (unless you eat 3 of them, ahem Macey).

Pineapple Upside Down cake recipe:

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 20 oz. can pineapple rings, juice reserved 
• 16 stemless maraschino cherries
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding (omit if you use cake mix that has pudding already in it)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• milk

Preheat oven to 350'. Thoroughly spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray making sure to coat every surface. Drain pineapple juice into a 1 cup measuring bowl and add enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid.

To make in a bundt pan: While the oven is warming up I put the stick of butter (cut up into chunks) in the bottom of the bundt pan and stick in oven to melt. Once it melts remove from oven and evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over top. Arrange 16 1/2 slices of pineapple around the bundt pan, and put a cherry between the slices.

Mix together the cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, oil, and reserved pineapple juice/milk. Spoon on top of the arranged pineapple slices and cherries. Bake for approx 40 minutes until the cake is done. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving dish.

To make in a 13x9 cake pan: melt the butter and sugar as above, then arrange whole pineapple rings evenly over top, put a cherry in the center of pineapple, and adjust the time according to the package directions.

To make cupcakes: I melted the butter in a small bowl in the microwave then stirred in the brown sugar until incorporated. Then spoon a little more than a teaspoon into each cupcake mold that I sprayed first with non-stick backing spray. For the top ones I cut pineapple rings into quarters and put them in the bottom of the cupcake tin around cherries, for the bottom one I used crushed pineapple with one cherry in the center. The crushed pineapple look better (in my opinion) but they taste the same so do what you want. After I filled up 24 cupcake spaces I used the remaining batter and pineapple to make 2 small 5" cakes.

These take about as much time to bake as regular cupcakes, check them at about 15 minutes and add on time accordingly.

PS:  I made the 5" cakes in little springform pans that leaked butter all over my oven (hello rolling smoke out of the oven when I opened the door!), put them on a rimmed cookie sheet if you make them like that! The cupcakes didn't do that thank goodness.

11.2.2016: mini pumpkin whoopie pies

Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

My niece Macey doesn't like frosting, and loves pineapple upside down cake - so her birthday dessert is easy for me to make....no getting out the decorating bags and tips (not that I don't love decorating but when in a time crunch this is helpful!). I saw this bundt idea here and thought I'd change things up this time - I love this idea and how it turned out!

Michelle at work told me she puts pineapple juice in the cake batter, and then this recipe called for the same - it really adds good flavor and makes the cake super moist. Try it!

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 20 oz. can pineapple rings, juice reserved (note you need 8 rings cut in half, I had 2 rings leftover
• 16 stemless maraschino cherries
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding (omit if you use cake mix that has pudding already in it)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• milk

Preheat oven to 350'. Thoroughly spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray making sure to coat every surface. Drain pineapple juice into a 1 cup measuring bowl and add enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid.

While the oven is warming up I put the stick of butter (cut up into chunks) in the bottom of the bundt pan and stick in oven to melt. Once it melts remove from oven and evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over top. Arrange 16 1/2 slices of pineapple around the bundt pan, and put a cherry between the slices (see picture).

 

Mix together the cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, oil, and reserved pineapple juice/milk. Spoon on top of the arranged pineapple slices and cherries. Bake for approx 40 minutes until the cake is done. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving dish.

This is such a good recipe - if you like Pineapple Upside Cake I hope you'll try this!

Oh, and it might not seem like an "October" thing but since I always make it for Macey's birthday I always think of it this time of year. Or anytime...it's so good I actually made a second one the next day to take to Al and Cathy's.





one year ago: make a miniature pumpkin owl

two years ago: spinach artichoke spaghetti squash