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

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

1. 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

I was at my parents in TN last week and while I was there I gave my mother a list of cupcakes to choose from for her birthday. Annie’s Eats has made some pretty amazing cupcakes and I plan on making a whole bunch of them. She chose the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and we are all so happy she did. These were beyond good or amazing. They were heavenly! When we got back to PA, my husbands grandmother was having her birthday and I had to make these again. I knew she would love them plus we were aching to eat them all over again.

The one thing I noticed when I made them a second time is that I put a little more powdered sugar in the peanut butter ball that goes in the middle of the cupcake. I found that just a smidge more powdered sugar helped me make them into balls. When you make these, do a “heaping”‘ cup of sugar. The picture to the right is when I didn’t do the heaping and it was very sticky and not wanting to roll into a ball.

Be prepared when you make these because you will want to make more a few days later. The peanut butter frosting is also amazing and could be used on a cake. I plan to make it a lot.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

*I was able to make 23 both times I made it

For the filling:

• 1 heaping cup confectioners’ sugar
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs

For the frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. To make the filling, combine the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.  Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (at least 24) and set aside on a baking sheet.
3. To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside.  In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix just until incorporated.
4. Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Place a ball of the peanut butter filling in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled.  Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and well blended.  Mix in the whipped topping until smooth and fluffy.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Source: Slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats