Soft and fluffy tropical cupcakes inspired by the classic Pina Colada, these pineapple coconut cupcakes topped with Swiss meringue buttercream are perfect any day!
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While the rest of the world seems to be enjoying summer I'm here feeling cold in Australia. So I thought it would be fun to make some tropical cupcakes and transport my tastebuds to somewhere I'd rather be. A warm and sunny beach with a pina colada in my hand 😎
These cupcakes are my absolute favourite! The addition of coconut milk gives this cupcake an extra moist and fluffy texture, and combined with pineapple chunks and a swirl of coconut swiss meringue buttercream this is THE tropical cupcake!
Tips for the perfect cupcake
While making cupcakes might seem easy, creating the perfect cupcake is a different story! Because there are so many cupcakes out there we want to create a cupcake base that can differentiate ours from the millions out there.
The reason this cupcake is different to a lot of them out there is because of the fat ratio. Butter gives cupcakes flavour, however butter-based cupcakes go stale in a day. On the other hand oil gives cupcake moisture, but it lacks flavour. So we've got the best of both worlds with this cupcake. Made from both oil and butter this gives the cupcake a flavourful base with a light and fluffy texture that lasts for days. On top of that, the addition of coconut milk and pineapple brings extra moisture and flavour to this cupcake to create the softest and fluffiest cupcake you'll ever have.
Follow these tips for an amazing cupcake:
Don't skip the vinegar
Adding vinegar to the coconut milk brings a touch of acidity. This is needed to react with the baking soda in the batter and give the cupcakes rise
Use 100% coconut milk
If you go to the supermarket there are a lot of different brands of coconut milk, but they aren't all the same. If you look at the ingredients a few of them will list both coconut milk and water as an ingredient. This is because they have watered down the coconut milk to produce more. While you can still use this, the flavour and fat content of the coconut milk will be diluted. Make sure the coconut milk that you use has only coconut milk listed as an ingredient.
Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy
Once you add the eggs to the oil, butter, sugar mixture you want to beat them until they are fluffy and lightened in colour. This process gives the cupcakes a lighter texture.
Mix until just combined
As usual, you don't want to overmix your cupcake batter as this can lead to dense and gummy cupcakes.
How to make pineapple flowers
The pineapple flowers on these cupcakes are optional, but they add a beautiful touch and flavour to the cupcake. As the pineapples are dried the flavour is concentrated, bringing an intense pineapple flavour to the buttercream it sits on.
The flowers are easy to make, however they are a little time consuming as you have to wait for them to dry.
To make them simply slice the pineapple as thin as possible, place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 60-120 mins on 110C/230F. Make sure to check on the flowers every so often so you don't over dry them. Once done they should be mostly dry but still flexible. As they cool they will firm up.
Place the pineapple flowers in a small bowl as they cool so they take on a rounded shape and look more like a flower!
If you cut your pineapple at different thicknesses the drying time will be different for each slice so try and be as consistent as possible. If you own a mandoline this would be the best way to slice your pineapple as you can get thin and even slices. Otherwise a sharp knife and steady hand is the way to go!
Tips on Swiss meringue buttercream
Swiss meringue buttercream is one of my favourite buttercreams because not only is it smooth and silky, but isn't as finicky as Italian meringue buttercream. If you are interested in Italian meringue buttercream I have an Italian lychee Buttercream recipe here for my lychee and rose cupcakes!
When making swiss meringue buttercream there are several points you should look out for in order to ensure buttercream success!
Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites reach the right temperature
If the sugar isn't completely dissolved it will result in a grainy buttercream. You can check whether or not it has been fully dissolved by rubbing some of the egg white mixture between your fingers. If it feels smooth then it's ready!
The temperature is also important as it ensures that your egg whites are safe to eat, while making sure the sugar can fully dissolve!
Ensure the meringue is cooled to room temperature before adding butter
If you add butter to the meringue before it has completely cooled you risk your buttercream curdling and melting. While it isn't impossible to fix (just place your buttercream into the fridge to firm up before adding in the rest of the butter), it's annoying and time consuming. Remember to test the temperature by placing your hand on the side of the bowl. It should be slightly cool/room temperature.
Add your butter slowly
Adding the butter slowly gives each bit of butter time to be fully incorporated into the meringue. As we are adding a fat into the egg whites it is easy to accidentally curdle the buttercream. Adding the butter in slowly reduces the chances!
Keep whisking
Once all you butter has been added make sure to keep whisking your buttercream for a few minutes. This adds extra air into your buttercream to create a light and fluffy frosting for your cupcakes.
Use a paddle attachment to smooth out your buttercream
While this is an optional step it ensure that your buttercream is silky smooth and free from air pockets. Using a whisk attachment brings lightness to the buttercream, but it also brings large air bubbles which can appear while piping. By using a paddle attachment it smoothens it all out, ensuring a beautiful smooth swirl of buttercream when frosting.
Let's Get Baking!
Not only are these pineapple coconut cupcakes so delicious and tropical, they are soooo pretty! Brings me back to the beach 🏖
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went.
Also, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
Print📖 Recipe
Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes
Soft and fluffy tropical cupcakes inspired by the classic Pina Colada, these pineapple coconut cupcakes topped with Swiss meringue buttercream are perfect any day!
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 80 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cupcake
- Method: Intermediate
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Coconut Pineapple Cupcakes
- 120ml Coconut milk (½ cup)
- 1 tsp White vinegar
- 60ml Vegetable oil (¼ cup)
- 30g Unsalted butter, room temperature (2 tbsp 1 tsp)
- 150g White sugar (¾ cup)
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 165g Plain flour (1 ⅓ cup)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 100g Finely chopped fresh or canned pineapple (3.5oz)
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 200g Caster/superfine sugar (1 cup)
- 3 Egg whites
- 240g Unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature (1 cup)
- 2 tbsp Coconut milk
Decoration (optional)
- Half a small pineapple
- Toasted desiccated coconut
Instructions
Coconut and Pineapple Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
- Line a cupcake tray with 12 paper liners
- Combine coconut milk and vinegar in a small bowl, set aside
- Add sugar, butter and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs to the butter and beat on high for 1 minute, until well combined
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine
- Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until just combined
- Add the coconut milk and mix until just combined
- Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients, making sure to not over-mix
- Fold in the chopped pineapple
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
- Cool completely before frosting
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer
- Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer
- Place the bowl of egg whites over the water and whisk constantly until the egg whites reach 70C/160F and are no longer grainy to the touch
- Attach the bowl to a stand mixer and beat on high speed for 8-10 minutes, or until the meringue stands at stiff peaks and the bowl is at room temperature
- Add the butter one cube at a time and whisk until fully incorporated
- Add the coconut milk
- Switch the whisk to a paddle attachment and beat for 10 minutes or until smooth light and fluffy (if you don't have a paddle attachment/using a hand held mixer, don't worry about switching the attachment, simply beat for a further 10 minutes)
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe swirls of buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes
Decoration
- Thinly slice the pineapple
- Place the pineapple on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake at 110C/230F for 60-120 minutes, depending on how thinly you sliced your pineapple
- Remove the pineapple once dried and darker along the edges
- Cool and top cupcakes with dried pineapple flowers
- Sprinkle with toasted coconut
Keywords: pineapple, cupcake, cake, coconut, pina colda, tropical, buttercream, frosting
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Dhrupita
The cupcakes sound delicious,
But is there eggfree version of these please,
Thanks
Catherine Zhang
Hi! I don't haven't tested an egg-free version, but there are a couple of egg replacements that you can try. Something like a flax egg might work well!