Yes, I just pulled a cheesy song intro, but…come on….you know you are singing the rest of that song in your head! (I know I am…Ha!)
I can still feel the sand between my toes…the sun shining on my face…. the waves crashing on the beach…
But alas, my beach vacation is over…back to my everyday small town life. It’s not so bad really(in fact, I LOVE where I live now), but growing up near the beach my whole life, I took advantage of its close proximity. There were many days where I would hop in my car after school and drive down to the beach to hang out with my friends. When it takes you more than 4 hours to get to the nearest beach it makes you appreciate it so much more. It makes you want to stay forever!
These are just a few pictures from our annual family trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.
Our favorite places to eat included Pier 14 and Peaches! At Peaches, I recommend the foot long that has chili, cheese, and fritos…YES FRITOS!!
We walked out onto the Pier after dinner and hammed it up in front of the camera!
My in-laws (middle left) are a few of my favorite people. I am so very blessed to have them in my life.
We got to ride the enormous Sky Wheel on the boardwalk. The view was spectacular! The red arrow is pointing to where my in-laws were sitting while we were up in the air! Now that is a long way down!
Now on to the cupcakes….
While on vacation, my MIL and I enjoyed our own Piña Coladas, but when you can’t get your hands on your own tropical drink, these cupcakes will do the trick for an everyday fix!
Piña Colada Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Bake Time: 25 minutes
For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup crushed pineapple
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
You can add 1-2 tablespoons of rum to the cupcake batter for flavor
To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons white rum
For the Pineapple Coconut Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾-3 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons pineapple juice/rum (if you want that extra kick!)
3 tablespoons Coconut pudding
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla extract and rum. Mix until combined.
6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand. Fold in the crushed pineapple.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of rum. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.
9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the pineapple juice, rum and coconut pudding and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with a wedge of pineapple, a cherry and an umbrella .
If you would prefer to not use liquor in these cupcakes, you can absolutely omit it from both the cupcakes and the frosting with no problem. If you do omit it, I would add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the frosting.
(Recipe adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride)
