22 Piña Colada Cupcakes

So it's another birthday. This time the special day belongs to my aunt. She's turning 39! She requested piña colada cupcakes. How can I say no to that? At work, I pretty much hate making piña coladas in drink form. I prayed to the cupcake gods that these would be nothing like that.

Always willing to make cupcakes with alcohol in them, I hit the web simply searching "Piña Colada Cupcakes". Tons of choices popped up. I looked at a handful of recipes. Some with alcohol in just the cupcakes, some with alcohol in just the icing, and even a few with no alcohol at all (what is wrong with people?). I looked and looked and couldn't find a recipe with rum in both the icing and the cupcakes. So I gave up. I had about 5 tabs open on my browser. They were the recipes I liked the best. To meet the requirements for my ideal cupcake, I carefully picked a cupcake recipe with alcohol, and then chose a good recipe with alcohol for the icing.

You'll probably have to buy a few things for these cupcakes. Most of it was easy to find. Canned pineapple and coconut aren't things most people have on hand. I was nervous about the coconut milk and the coconut extract. I was surprised to see the coconut extract. It was easy enough to find. On the other hand, I looked all over the store for the coconut milk. Coconut milk, coconut water, and creme of coconut are all different things. Make sure you get the right one. The coconut water and creme of coconut were near the premixed margarita mixes and that kind of stuff. I found the coconut milk in the Hispanic food section. Which, unfortunately, was the last place I looked. You also might have to make a stop to pick up some liquor. We had coconut rum here (exactly 1/3 c), but  you can use whatever kind of rum you like best.

The batter for the cupcakes came together really easily. When I drained my crushed pineapple, I got exactly the 1/4 cup that I needed. There was about half of the pineapple left over. If pineapple juice is something you like or just have around, I'd suggest getting a smaller can of crushed pineapple so you don't have as much left over. Definitely make sure you shake you coconut milk before opening the can. It says it on the back of the label. I don't read directions ever so I missed that part. I had to whisk the juice and the solid part together since I just ripped off the top of the can and didn't think twice about it. Instead of bowls, I always use liquid measuring cups to mix my wet and dry ingredients in. When you go to add them alternately to the sugar, butter, and eggs, it's so much easier with the spout on the measuring cups than with a bowl. You can fill the cupcakes pretty full like the recipe says, I didn't have any cupcakes bake over.

Don't forget to shake your coconut milk.
The solid part sits on top. This is what it
will look like if you don't.

The icing was just another, everyday icing recipe. I only used the one teaspoon of coconut extract. I was thinking, you could probably substitute the coconut extract with coconut milk, since you'll have plenty left over. It would be one less thing for your grocery list.

The cupcakes are kind of weird, as far as the makeup of them goes. It's a very dense cupcake. I'd probably chop up the coconut some so it isn't so long. It makes the cupcakes sort of stringy (for lack of a better word). The rum in the icing makes the cupcake. It's enough to say "Hey, I'm a cool tropical drink, represented by a cupcake". The only improvement these need is more pineapple flavor. Otherwise, a fun cupcake to bring to the party.

Cupcake Ingredients
20 oz can of crushed pineapple
1/3 c coconut rum (or any rum)
3/4 c coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 c unsalted butter
2/3 c sugar
3 eggs
1 c sweetened coconut (if you use unsweetened, add 1/4 c sugar)

Cupcake How to
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Drain the pineapple into a small bowl and save 1/4 c of the juice and 1 c drained pineapple.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the juice, rum, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add the milk and flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the drained pineapple and shredded coconut.
6. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full (these cupcakes are too dense to rise very high). Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops bounce back lightly when touched.


Icing Ingredients
1/2 c butter
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp coconut extract (you may want to start with 1 tsp, you can always add more)
4 c powdered sugar
1 Tbsp heavy cream or milk OR 1 Tbsp Dark Rum

Icing How to
1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and blend until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until well combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Add vanilla extract, coconut extract and powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
3. Slowly add rum.
4. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
**Keep refrigerated**



cupcakes from pastryaffair.com
icing from thewhitelibrary.com