Summertime Drink in Cupcake Form – Who Wouldn’t Love Pina Colada Cupcakes?

Summer is here! Warmer weather means spending more time outside, and I just absolutely love enjoying a nice, cool drink on the patio while my husband is grilling up delicious eats. One of my favorites? Pina Coladas. Alcoholic or non-alcoholic, either way, they’re delicious. So when I was tasked with developing a cupcake recipe for the summertime, I immediately thought of a Pina Colada. Put it in a cupcake form, and what’s not to love? The delicious buttercream frosting has pineapple and cream of coconut blended into it and is probably one of my favorite frostings ever. Here’s a quick step-by-step on how to make Pina Colada Cupcakes:

First, the most important part is to chop and drain your pineapple. You don’t want too much liquid left in the blended pineapple because it could make the frosting runny. Start by blending the chunked pineapple in a food processor. Don’t forget to cut a few wedges with the rind left on for a garnish when the cupcakes are complete!

Now let the pineapple strain – I took this picture right after I set the strainer on the bowl, and you can see that there’s already a lot of liquid in the bowl. You could also put the blended pineapple in a cheesecloth or paper towel and squeeze the liquid out. You’ll still be left with the delicious pineapple flavor – just without the extra liquid.

Next up, bake the cupcakes and let them cool. They have cream of coconut and shredded coconut stirred into the batter, so you know they’ll pack a coconutty punch. Is coconutty a word? Probably not, but I’m still going to use it.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. The amazingly creamy, coconutty frosting. (There I go with the word coconutty again!)

Blend the butter, pineapple, cream cheese, cream of coconut and rum extract together with powdered sugar, adding a few tablespoons of milk if needed, until you reach a creamy consistency.

Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cupcakes. Can you see the flecks of pineapple in it? I love it.

Now the fun part – garnishing! I topped mine with toasted coconut, pineapple slices, and a maraschino cherry – just like the drink gets!

How much fun are these?? I can’t wait to bring them to summer parties this year. You should, too!