It doesn’t have to be summer to enjoy these tropical cupcakes! They’re great year-round. So refreshing and full of pina colada flavor.
See the recipe notes for tips on how to serve these with no alcohol added, and for my favorite alternate whipped cream topping. It’s chilly and creamy – perfect for the warm days ahead.
1/3cupheavy whipping creamplus more to thin if needed
2 1/2teaspoonscoconut extract
1/3cuptoasted coconutfor garnish (see notes)
16maraschino cherriesdrained and patted dry with paper towels
Instructions
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with 16 cupcake liners.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; whisk to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla, milk, and rum, and mix on low speed. Beat for 3-5 minutes until the consistency is smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
Add the flaked coconut and pineapple; fold in by hand.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans, filling each cavity about 2/3 full (a trigger ice cream scoop is perfect for portioning!).
Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Coconut buttercream
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat together the butter and confectioners’ sugar on low speed. When the mixture is just combined, add the salt and mix again. Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the heavy cream and coconut extract. When just combined, raise the speed to high and beat for 5-7 minutes. Add more heavy cream to reach smooth piping consistency, if needed. Beat until the frosting is lightened to almost white color and fluffy.
Transfer 1/2 of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with the 1/2-inch round tip. Transfer the other half to a piping bag fitted with the large closed star tip.
Place the toasted coconut on a shallow dish.
Pipe a circle of frosting around the top edge of a cupcake using the 1/2-inch round tip frosting bag. Immediately dip the edges of the frosting into the toasted coconut (see video for technique).
Pipe a swirl of frosting in the center of the cupcake using the large closed star tip frosting bag. Top with a maraschino cherry and a cocktail umbrella.
Repeat the process with the remaining cupcakes until they are all frosted and decorated.
Notes
Flake coconut: I use unsweet flake coconut for this recipe, which is finer and drier than sweetened flake coconut. You can use sweetened flake coconut instead. It tends to be damp and stringy, so chop it finer before adding it to this recipe. The end result will be slightly sweeter.To toast coconut, sprinkle it on a 13x9 baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before using on the cupcakes.Whipped cream frosting alternative: To make these chilly for summertime, replace the coconut buttercream recipe with homemade whipped cream. Beat 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of fine granulated sugar while beating. Beat in 2 teaspoons coconut extract. Divide whipped cream between the designated piping bags with decorator tips and pipe as directed.No alcohol version: Replace the 1/4 cup of rum with 1/4 cup canned coconut milk; add 1/2 teaspoon rum extract to the recipe. You can also use 1/4 cup of pineapple juice in place of the rum. It may curdle the batter a little due to the pineapple enzymes, but will become more consistent when the flour mixture is added.