Piña Colada Cupcakes
Pineapple and coconut top these light pineapple cupcakes, what a perfect Spring dessert! For the coconut lover out there, these are super easy, low fat, moist and delicious! A variation of my pineapple bliss cupcakes, using a box of yellow cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple; no eggs, no oil or butter needed!! This is great for lazy bakers, takes less than 10 minutes to prep! You can make the cupcakes a day ahead and the topping as well, which should be stored in the refrigerator. Once you top them with the frosting they should be eaten within a few hours.
Pineapple and coconut top these light pineapple cupcakes, what a perfect Spring dessert! For the coconut lover out there, these are super easy, low fat, moist and delicious! A variation of my pineapple bliss cupcakes, using a box of yellow cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple; no eggs, no oil or butter needed!! This is great for lazy bakers, takes less than 10 minutes to prep! You can make the cupcakes a day ahead and the topping as well, which should be stored in the refrigerator. Once you top them with the frosting they should be eaten within a few hours.
- 1 package philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese 8 ounce
- 1 box yellow cake mix (i used betty crocker super moist) 18.25 ounce
- 1 can can crushed pineapple in juiceâ (do not drain) 20 ounce
- pineapple coconut cream cheese frosting
- 1 can can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice 20 ounce completely drained of any liquid
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes1/4 cup sugar
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine both ingredients in large bowl.
- Mix on medium speed with electric mixer.
- Pour into lined cupcake tins about 2/3 full. Bake in accordance with cake mix directions or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
- Combine cream cheese, crushed pineapple, sugar and coconut flakes in a medium bowl and mix with a hand mixer until combined well. Spread on cooled cupcakes and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Swapping a standard yellow cake mix for a heavier pound cake blend will yield dense, rubbery cupcakes that fail to absorb the moisture from the undrained fruit. This formula relies entirely on the precise chemical leaveners already present in commercial mixes to lift a batter containing an entire twenty-ounce can of un-drained crushed pineapple. Standard electric hand mixers work adequately for combining the batter, but a paddle attachment on a stand mixer ensures the pineapple pulp distributes evenly without overtaxing the gluten network. When filling the paper liners, maintain a strict two-thirds capacity threshold to prevent the fruit-heavy batter from spilling over the edges during the expansion phase in the oven.
Equipment and Mixing Mechanics
Electric hand mixers excel at incorporating the cream cheese into the pineapple topping, though failing to thoroughly drain the second can of fruit will result in a watery frosting that slides directly off the cake. Spread the finished frosting onto the cupcakes only after the internal crumb temperature drops completely to ambient room temperature, usually requiring twenty minutes on a wire rack. While the base recipe contains dairy in the cream cheese and gluten in the cake mix, bakers needing vegetarian adaptations can utilize certified plant-based cream cheese alternatives without altering the physical mixing ratios. Store the frosted cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but consume them within a four-hour window to maintain structural integrity before the pineapple moisture softens the crumb excessively.
Texture Control and Storage
Pineapple pulp introduces high sugar content that browns quickly, so monitoring the oven bake time using a wooden toothpick inserted into the center is mandatory. Pull the tins the exact second the tester emerges without wet batter clinging to it, preventing dryness. Maintaining this strict timing window guarantees the delicate balance between the tropical fruit inclusion and the crumb structure remains intact.
