A few weeks ago was my mother-in-law and father-in-law’s wedding anniversary. They love coconut and pineapple and I set out to find something to combine the two. I saw Ina Garten’s coconut cupcakes and thought a pineapple filling would be great with it. I did some search and found 6 Bittersweets had made coconut cupcakes with pineapple curd. Perfect! I combined Ina’s recipe with the pineapple filling. Side note: I am calling it filling because when I told my friend Kali about the pineapple curd, she said it doesn’t sound appetizing when you say curd.
The way to put the filling into the cupcakes is fairly simple. You need a pastry bag or ziplock bag and a piping tip. I used a #12 round tip. These cupcakes would be great without the filling too. I also think that this batter would be great without the coconut being added to it and would make a perfect white cupcake. Play around with it, after-all it’s all about having fun in the kitchen!
Coconut Cupcakes with Pineapple Filling
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
- Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
- Put the filling into the pastry bag and plunge the tip into the cupcakes, squeeze and pull up till the filling reaches the top of the cupcake. Frost as desired.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.
Source: Ina Garten
Pineapple Filling:
- 2 large eggs plus 2 yolks [or 6 yolks for a richer curd]
- 2 1/4 cups pineapple juice [I used canned]
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5 Tablespoons cornstarch
Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Source: 6 Bittersweets