As I’ve mentioned, this is a big season of transition for us. We’re in a new place, and meeting new people, but old habits die hard. I will always be one who wants to be a good hostess. But, somehow it seems that when its not super important for something to turn out, it turns out perfectly, and when I’m depending on something to be perfect, I end up baking a little humble pie.

This past weekend, my brother-in-law and his fiancee were visiting for the weekend. Her sister also lives here, so we planned a dinner get-together at a local barbeque place and I planned to make dessert for afterward. Saying this with all humility and grace, I’m somewhat [local scale] famous for my desserts. Any placement I’ve been at, school function I’ve been to, or party I’ve attended has enjoyed my desserts (I said with ALL humility, friends!). So, of course, I thought I’d just whip something fabulous up Thursday night that would shock and amaze, and we’d all go on about our lives.

Back in May, hubby and I brought back 55 pounds of fresh pineapples from Maui. {American Airlines lets you check this enormous box for free; if you are ever in Maui, DO THIS. You will NOT regret it.} They are without a doubt some of the best fruit you will ever eat in your life. We needed dessert for his graduation party, and I had plenty of pineapple and an itch to bake, so the idea for miniature pineapple upside down cakes was born. Guest baking in my mother-in-law’s kitchen, I slammed down fresh pineapple and mini cakes into cupcake tins and it turned out just as planned. Guests oo-ed and ah-ed at the party, and it was fun to explain that they were made with the fresh pineapple we’d just brought back from Hawaii.

So, on Thursday morning, I saw we had a can of chunk pineapple in the pantry (NOT the same, but would work), so I just needed a yellow cake mix, and I’d be back in ooos and ahhs land with this already famous dessert.

As I pulled into Walgreen’s to get my cake mix, I was talking with hubby about what I was getting and if he needed anything, to which he replied no. I ran in and out in about five minutes and was about to pull out to go home when he called me again. He requested chocolate cake additionally. His reasoning was that there were going to be a lot of us (6) so we probably needed more than one dessert option. And because he wanted to eat some that night.

I ran back in, got two chocolate cake mixes with two cans of frosting (because 2 for $3, of course), and then made it home. While cooking a lasagna, garlic bread, and chocolate cake, I began working on my mini PUD cakes. And, of course, I documented the entire process because I thought I’d share this amazing recipe on my recipes page (which maybe I still will, but NOT today, friends. NOT today.).

Cupcake tins seemed a little boring for this time, so I pulled out some specialty small cake tins that I’d really never had the occasion to use. Why make a cupcake when you can make a miniature Bundt cake?? 

I knew something wasn’t quite right with the consistency of the brown sugar and butter mixture when I first started, but the numbers were right from the recipe so, I went with it (here’s your sign!).

Soon after baking, they began to bubble over and burn on the bottom of the stove, and completely outgrow the tins. This is the point that I knew we’d lost the impressive factor and would be riding on sheer taste.

They settled a little after pulling them out, but they were still over the edge, and not exactly uniformly shaped to say the least.

The moment of truth came when I went to flip them out of the tins. As in, I flipped, and nothing came out. NOTHING. They were stuck in there tighter than Spanx on a hot day (y’all know what I’m talking about). I ran a knife around the edge, which further ruined their look, and then came out with about half of each cake.

That’s super cute to serve guests, right?? And this is when humble pie tastes like chocolate cake… Hubby knew all along we’d need a back up. Sometimes things won’t always turn out like I plan, but I’m glad and blessed to know that he’s got my back!