Cupcake Wednesdays: Pina Colada Cupcakes

Pineapple and coconut are hard to mess up. They compliment each other perfectly with the sweet/tartness of pineapples and the sugar sweetness of coconut. Since these were the first cupcakes I would be bringing to work after our winter break, I thought I would do something a little different. Plus, it is about time I expanded my repertoire. Pina Colada cupcakes it was.

The recipe I began using seemed pretty good, but then I realized that there were no eggs. That would be fine, but I didn't seem to find any other stabilizing ingredient in there so I added a couple eggs. The batter tasted really good actually, sweet and pineapply. I was sure these would be great. They rose pretty well in the oven and retained very low domes. The taste test was a let down though. Don't get me wrong, I don't think these are bad. Glenn does. They just need a lot of work. I want the pineapple flavor to be strong. I want the coconut to just peek through. I want the frosting to be a standout. I got the frosting part right. I added pineapple and coconut flavored rums to a cream cheese frosting base and got a perfectly smooth icing out of it. I rolled the tops in coconut to make them pretty. These still aren't what I am looking for. I will certainly be tweaking this recipe so I can have a hands down hardcore awesome Pina Colada Cupcake recipe. Until then, these will work just fine.

Everyone at work who tried one seemed to love them. I got lots of compliments. The coconut was a turn off to some people. Other people, like one of the counselors I work with, had 4 or 5. He usually eats 2 or 3 so I am not sure if that means anything.


Pina Colada Cupcakes
yield 24-30 cupcakes

(1)
1/4 C Malibu Coconut rum
1/4 C Parrot Bay Pineapple rum
1 1/4 C crushed pineapple
1 C coconut milk
1/2 C oil
2 T vinegar
1/3 C pineapple juice
4 eggs

(2)
2 C sugar
2 2/3 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Extra coconut for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 - 12 cup muffin pans with liners. In a medium to large bowl, whisk together all of (1) until thoroughly combined. In a large bowl whisk together all of (2). Add all of (2) to (1) and whisk until combined and very smooth. Distribute batter into muffin cups, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for 20-24 minutes. Allow to cool then frost cupcakes and garnish with coconut.

Rummy Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 T butter, softened
2 1/2 T Malibu Coconut rum
2 T Parrot Bay Pineapple rum
2 C powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl until smooth and creamy. Add more or less rum to taste (this is already fairly strong) and add more or less powdered sugar according to your desired texture.