Adventures in Cake Decorating #10 - Pineapple Cupcakes x 2

And another cake flashback. Why? Because I haven't been baking as much fun stuff during the pandemic. Over the last two years, I think the Raphael Ninja Turtle cake was the last full-sized cake I made (early March 2020), and since then there have been just a couple of outdoor birthday parties, for which I made the Paw Patrol and Fireman Sam cupcakes. I had designs on making a very small wedding cake for a few of us to share as we virtually attended a relative's wedding, but neither the Zoom nuptials (and therefore) nor the cake materialized.

Last time we flashed back, it was to remember Teddy Graham sunbathers on beach cupcakes. Let's stick with that warm, sunny theme and look back at the two different cupcakes I once made for a luau at church.

Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes

These came from a Betty Crocker recipe, and you can always trust Betty for a delicious time. Between the pineapple juice in the batter and the sugary syrup on the bottom (which becomes the top), these cupcakes are soaking in goodness. Don't let the photo mislead you -- these do not bake in cupcake wrappers. After flipping over the muffin tin to release these pineapple delights, I moved each into its own paper wrapper for easier individual servings at the luau party.

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

I'm disappointed in the trendy cupcake shops that decorate their baked goods so cutely but fail to deliver any oomph in flavor. A so-called salted caramel cupcake that has a stylized drizzle and tiny cookie atop its frosting but otherwise is a plain vanilla cake underneath -- not worth the hype (or money). Even Hostess cupcakes have a creamy filling! A so-called gourmet cupcake should at least have a caramel-flavored sponge if not also ooze liquid caramel once you bite into it. So, of course, I'm proud of these fully flavored cupcakes with a sweet surprise in the middle.

Any cupcake with a filling deserves bonus points, and this filling is so easy to execute... if you follow my tip here and not the original recipe. This recipe from The Little Epicurean is almost everything I want it to be -- coconut milk both in the batter and in the frosting, yes! But, with a fruit filling like pineapple, there is no need to find a 1-inch cookie cutter (who has that?) to punch the center out of each cupcake after they're baked. This isn't a custard or buttercream filling that can't go in until the cupcakes are cooled. 

Instead, I say, you just plop a spoonful of crushed pineapple into the center of the batter in each muffin cup. It will sink just a little bit, and then as the cupcakes bake, the batter will rise up and over it, hiding the pineapple filling for you. Voila!

.