Coconut Pineapple Cupcakes

 

I love to bake. It is one of the reasons I volunteered to bring cupcakes in for my co-workers birthdays. Any excuse for me to bake some yuminess!! So...recently we had a BIRTHDAY!!! When I started asking around about things this co worker liked... I got a lot of chocolate, berries, and a "maybe" pumpkin. Thankfully I was able to ask this co worker what she would like. She choose coconut pineapple. Pretty similar to chocolate and berries...NOT?? Anyway... I started looking around for ideas, but I couldn't decide if I wanted coconut cake with pineapple filling or vice versa. I figured that coconut filling might be a little too complicated... So I chose the first. They turned out awesome!!
Coconut Cupcakes
Inspired by Food Network Magazine: May 2012
Makes: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 2/3 coconut milk, at room temperature
• Pineapple compote (recipe follows)
• Whipped pineapple cream (recipe follows)

Pineapple Compote

• 1 ripe pineapple, top, skin and core removed, cut into bite-size wedges
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped Pineapple Coconut Cream

• Half pint of heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar (you can add more sugar to your taste. I like mine not super sweet)
• 2 Tbsp pineapple juice
• 3 Tbsp sweetened shredded coconut

For the cupcakes:

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 muffin pan with liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

 

Beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy (around 4 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides down as you go. Beat in the almond extract.

 

Reduce the speed of the mixture to medium-low and add half the flour mixture. Next, add all the milk, beat the mixture, and then the rest of the flour. Mix until just combined.

 

Divide the mixture between the muffin cups filling them 3/4 full. Bake them until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean (18 - 20 minutes). Transfer the pans to a rack to cool. After 5 minutes, remove the cakes from the pan, and let them cool completely on the rack.

For the pineapple compote:

   

Combine sugar, water, orange juice, and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Bring this mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, add the pineapple, and keep stirring until mixed in. Continue to simmer the mixture until it has a syrup-y consistency. Remove from the heat to cool and set aside.

For the whipped pineapple coconut cream:

 

Pour cold heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl. Add the powdered sugar and pineapple juice. With an electric mixer, mix these until peaks stand on their own (about 2 minutes).

*I forgot to put the pineapple juice in the whipped cream shown.

Assemble:

 

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, grab a paring knife and begin cutting a circle at a 45 degree angle. You will be pulling a cone shaped piece out. In the hole you just created, place 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pineapple compote. You can place the cone shaped cupcake piece back or throw it away. I choose to put mine back. Place the whipping cream in a pastry bag and pipe it on top of the cupcakes.

If you have extra syrup, you could drizzle it over the cupcakes. or you could roll your cupcakes in sweetened or toasted coconut.

Enjoy!!