Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

As most of you know, baking is not really my forte. I often mess up the recipe is some shape or form, and often have no idea what happened until it's too late. However, I got an offer I just couldn't refuse.

I work at a school here in Lethbridge, and one of the students has become an avid follower of the blog. He made a specific request awhile ago for these cupcakes. He told me the ingredients he wanted, and what sort of recipe he wanted made. Coconut and cupcakes was the request, and I told him it would do this. He has been nice enough to be patient while I waited for a cooler day to bake. I hate having the oven on while it's nice outside! All I needed was to wait for the perfect chilly day to make them.

The recipe originally came from the blog Persnickety Palate. I found this recipe while searching for Pina Colada cupcake recipes. I'm not sure that the recipe really screams out Pina Colada, but it still tastes darn good! Persnickety is a great blog to read, with lots of tasty recipes and stories on it. I suggest giving it a look!

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

Butter - 3/4 cup - room temperature
Sugar - 1 1/4 cups
Eggs - 3
Coconut Milk - 1 can (400ml), reserve about 3 tbsps off the top for the whipping cream.
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Flour - 2 1/4 Cups
Salt - pinch
Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. I actually used a mix master on this, which I have never done. Go me! Add the sugar, and mix together until it is light and fluffy again. You may want to scrape the sides to make sure it is all mixed together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds each. Scrape down the sides again after the eggs to ensure even mixing.

Add HALF the flour mixture (I almost messed up here) and mix on low speed until blended. Pour in the coconut milk and extracts and blend. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix together, but do not overbeat.

Fill your muffin trays with cupcake liners. Fill each liner from about 1/2 - 3/4 full. Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Persnickety has a really great tip here. Make sure to rotate the pans after about 15 minutes, to ensure that the cupcakes cook through. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done (When you put the toothpick in the top and pull it out, no dough should come out either). Allow to cool for about 1-3 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

Whipping Cream

Cream Cheese - 4 oz
Whipping Cream - 1 cup
Coconut Milk - 3 tbsps (From above)
Powdered Sugar - 1 tbsp
Coconut Flakes - 2 tbsps

Blend together the whole shebang until thickened. Chill in fridge before serving.

Pineapple Curd

Eggs - 4, (2 whole, 2 yolks)
Pineapple Juice/Crushed - 2 cups
Sugar - 3/4 Cups
Cornstarch - 5 tbsps

Combine in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Cool in fridge.

When the cupcakes have cooled, apply a spoonful of the pineapple curd to the top, then add the whipping cream. Sprinkle some coconut flakes over the top for appeal and a little extra taste. The pineapple curd may have leftovers, but it tastes great in smoothies, so don't even worry about that! And I'm sure people can find a use for any leftover whipping cream.

Enjoy!