The Pacifist Goes to War

    I have to admit, spending a career as a professional arguer has turned me into something of a pacifist, so I don't really get the whole "Cupcake War" thing.
   Cupcakes never did anything to hurt me... my waistline, maybe, but not me.  True enough, good cupcakes might be responsbile for the South wing on my School  House figure.  But to be perfectly honest, I was a willing participant in that caloric construction project.
   But the omnipotent Food Network, the de facto ruler of my culinary universe, has decreed that we may no longer simply bake cupcakes, decorate cupcakes, and eat cupcakes... we must do war.
   If I have to battle with something culinary, a pineapple seems like a good weapon of choice.

   I had been contemplating some sort of muffin creation for the next time I needed to cook to impress.  I found myself at a reception enjoying the juicy explosions of fresh cut pineapple.  Since I really don't like dry baked goods, I had my project idea.  My first thought was a simple pineapple muffin with a rum caramel sauce to drizzle the top (and somewhere down the road, that combination will be used), but as I ran through possibilities, I settled on an effort to morph the traditional Pineapple Upside Down Cake into a fit-in-the-hand glob of gooey goodness... hence, the Pineapple Upside Down Muffin. 
   In my taste world, pineapple and coconut go together like peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs or french fries and hot wing sauce (just trust me on that one).  I started by covering the bottom of the cups of my muffin pans with a light cover of coconut flakes  On top of that, I spooned the brown sugar and pineapple mixture (recipe below) that forms the tasty bottom that after cooking becomes the gooey top.  Although the recipe was inspired by fresh pineapple, and the usual pineapple upside down cake calls for Pineapple Circles, I like to use crushed pineapple, which I split betwen the topping and the cake.  I like the texture it gives the topping, and the juicy bits of pineapple left in the cake. 
   Pineapple bits and pineapple juice permeate the cake portion, making every bit juicy and flavorful.  I spread the batter between 24 muffins, since I don't want any of the individual muffins to get too puffy on top, since the top will become the bottom.  In my oven, they cook to perfection in right at 19 minutes.  As always, your time may vary.  During the cooking process, the muffins will puff up a bit. looking like traditional cupcakes, but as they cool, the cake will flatten out.

Ingredients
1/2 cup of coconut flakes
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 12 oz can of crushed pineapple (approx. 1/3 of can for topping, the remainder in the cake mix)
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons of softened butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 egg whites
1/2 cup milk

   First, sprinkle the coconut between the 24 muffin cups.  Melt 4 tablespoons of butter, adding the brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring until they are well blended.  Add around 1/3 of the crushed pineapple.  Spoon that mixture evenly over the coconut in the muffin cups.
   For the batter, mix the flour and baking powder and set aside.  Blend the butter and sugar together until starting to mix, but being careful not to over whip the butter.  Add the vanilla and egg whites and blend into the sugar/butter mixtue.  Mix the milk and around 1/2 cup of pineapple juice.  Alternate adding portions of the flour mixture and the milk and pineapple juice mixture, still being careful not to over beat the mixture.  Once mixed well, add in the remaining crushed pineapple and stir into the mixture.  Spoon  the mixture evenly among the muffin cups, not exceeding around 3/4 of each cup so that the muffins don't rise too much.  Cook for between 18 and 20 minutes, using the toothpick test to measure doneness.
    Let the muffins cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then run a knife around the muffin to separage the sides from the pan. Take a cookie sheet, place it on top of the muffin pan, and flip. With the muffin pan sitting upside down, use the knife to drum on top of each muffin cup to be certain the muffin comes out. CAREFULLY remove the pan, peeking under to know if any muffins are sticking.
   If you like a good hot desert, grab one and eat it right away.  Personally, I like to let them cool a bit, but they are delicious either way.  If I were truly in a cupcake war, I suppose I'd craft some sort of mock beach setting on the plate and serve the cupcakes inside a half coconut shell or something like that.  But I'm a pacifist.... and a guy... so I'd rather just eat and save the food art for someone who weighs at least 300 pounds less than me.