Gimme Some Oven

Piña Colada Cupcakes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Happy National Rum Day!

Before I even found out that such a “holiday” existed, my friends commented that I have been on a bit of a rum-baking kick this month. It’s true. After making my favorite rum cake, and an improvised version of pineapple foster (improvised with some pineapple tidbits onhand one night), I recently decided to turn one of my favorite frozen drinks into a cupcake.

Yes, I admit….I am a big fan of piña coladas. Living in the Midwest, there aren’t too many times when this yummy tropical drink is offered on a night out. But on a Caribbean cruise with my sister this summer, I was reminded how much I adore the classic pineapple-coconut combination. Soooo delicious! So upon my return, I decided to turn it into a cupcake!

This recipe is pretty straight-forward. It is a basic pineapple, rum, and coconut cake recipe, topped with a delicious coconut cream cheese frosting. And then of course, topped with a classic maraschino cherry and a pineapple wedge. Delicious, rich, and so fun! Definitely my kind of way to celebrate National Rum Day. :)

Enjoy!!!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Piña Colada Cupcakes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 37 minutes
  • Total Time: 107 minutes
  • Yield: 24 cupcakes 1x

Description

You will love this coconut-y and delicious Piña Colada Cupcakes recipe. These bright and cheerful tropical-flavored sweets can be enjoyed on any occasion!


Ingredients

Scale

Pina Colada Cupcake Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. dark rum
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup cream of coconut (**not coconut milk – see note below**)
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (or pineapple from a can, strained, juice reserved)

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

  • 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (half a stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 34 cups powdered sugar (add to achieve your desired thickness)
  • 1/2 cup cream of coconut
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Toppings:

  • maraschino cherries
  • pineapple wedges
  • grated coconut

Instructions

  1. To Make Pina Colada Cupcakes:
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two cupcake pans with 24 liners.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then add rum and cream of coconut and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients, half at a time, mixing and scraping down bowl between additions. Mix only until flour is just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in bits of pineapple.
  4. Use a large cookie scoop to fill cupcake pans with batter until each is 2/3 full. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and cool for 20-30 minutes. For extra flavor, while the cupcakes are still hot, you can brush them with rum and/or pineapple juice.
  5. Once the cake has cooled, pipe (or spread) coconut cream cheese frosting onto each cupcake. Then top with a maraschino cherry, pineapple wedge, and/or shredded coconut if desired.
  6. To Make Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
  7. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add in powdered sugar, then cream of coconut and vanilla. Chill until firm enough to pipe or spread, about 30 minutes. Mix in extra powdered sugar if needed for thickness.

Notes

Cream of coconut will give the cupcakes and frosting a richer coconut flavor.  But if you can only find coconut milk in your stores, just substitute it into the cake recipe and then add an extra 3/4 cup granulated sugar.

Cupcake recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ali’s Tip:

Cream of coconut will give the cupcakes and frosting a richer coconut flavor. But if you can only find coconut milk in your stores, just substitute it into the cake recipe and then add an extra 3/4 cup granulated sugar.

Source: Cupcake recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

31 comments on “Piña Colada Cupcakes”

  1. Not only do these sound AWESOME… LOVE the presentation!

  2. Dear STARS, woman. I’m on my way over.

  3. What..theres a national rum day and i didnt KNOW about it!!!? Kerazzzyy. These cupcakes look basically perfect, and im sure taste glorrrrriousss :)

  4. I love the cupcake liners. What is your source for those?

  5. Did you make or buy the cupcake liners? These look awesome!

  6. These look fabulous! And, how did I not realize it was National Rum Day? These cupcakes look like the perfect way to celebrate!

  7. Why do I have to be pregnant on national rum day!?!?

  8. I love this recipe! Where did you get those amazing liners? What are they made of? I hope you don’t mind sharing.

    Thanks

  9. Hi I love so much your presentation,and thanks for share the recepie I will like to make this cupcakes this week for a costumer that asked me for a pina colada cake, and i will like to make this type of presentation, what kind of paper you use for make the cupcakes fold liners ? ty

  10. Hi I love so much ur cupcakes that I made one job inspired in your work, I make a new post about the cake and I like to share with you the link. Ty so much for inspire me ( sorry the blog is in spanish is my natural language) https://tusdulcesideas.blogspot.com/2011/09/pastel-de-pina-colada.html

  11. Too cute! The garnishes make these absolutely adorable.

  12. I just made these (haven’t eaten one yet, they’re cooling) and while they smell wonderful, I think there’s a typo in your post. It says bake for 34-40 minutes, which maybe be true for cake, but for cupcakes I would recommend 18-20.

  13. I wish I would have read the comments before making these! Nicole is absolutely right – the baking time is way off! My oven runs hot, so I only did 35 minutes. It’s totally my fault for not checking on them during bake time (I blame that on an unruly 10-month old), but when I pulled them out after 35 minutes, they were completely brown. Cooled one down to eat it and it was totally crusty and dry on the outside. I’m bummed because I really wanted to love this recipe.

  14. I made these into mini cupcakes! So cute… Easy just to eat and go. Bake time for mini cupcakes was about 13 minutes though

  15. I found the Tulip Cupcake Liners at the Kitchen Krafts web site. Copy and paste this link into your browser: https://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product/yellow-tulip-baking-cups-25-pkg/paper-baking-products?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&p=GoogleProdAd&s=CSE&r=GoogleProdAd&cvsfa=2792&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=5050303537322d59454c&gclid=CNL45K-QxrgCFaY-MgodMy4AlA

  16. This is a great idea. Im going to try to make these this weekend. I was wanted to know where did you get the cupcake liners from? looking forward to your response.

  17. Hi! Just made these cupcakes and frosting. I didn’t realize that the frosting needed to be refrigerated before piping. Does that mean once the cupcakes are frosted they need to be refrigerated? Or will they be ok at room temp? Thanks!
    I love your blog and use your recipes frequently. :)

    • Thank you, Rachel! Yes, the cupcakes should be refrigerated after they are frosted. We hope you love them!

  18. I’m making the recipe now, but the batter is really think, is this normal? it’s almost the consistency of cookie dough.