Pumpkin and Spice

I'm pretty sure it's a scientific fact that a pina colada is the most summery drink ever created. Icy and frozen, creamy, coconutty with a hint of pineapple, it practically begs to be sipped with your toes in the sand and the sound of crashing waves and rustling palm trees in the background. It's so perfectly tropical, so fantasically summery that it would be next to impossible to beat a freshly blended pina colada...

... Unless you drank your pina colada while eating a pina colada cupcake. For my birthday party, I knew I wanted my birthday cupcakes to be a flavor that would perfectly sum up the Hawaiian Tiki theme- And I knew nothing would fit the bill better than a cupcake that encompassed all the deliciousness of my favorite tropical drink.

These cupcakes include all the aspects of a pina colada- pineapple, coconut and rum. They're moist, thanks to the addition of crushed pineapple, richly coconutty, due to the pina colada mix and coconut, with just a hint of dark rum. (The alchol in the rum will cook off during baking, but if you prefer to not use rum, you could replace it with pineapple juice.) For the coconut, I like to use dessicated coconut, which is coconut that has been super-finely shredded. If you can't find dessicated coconut, you can give regular coconut flakes a little spin in the food processor to make them finer.

Oh, and you'll have enough rum and pina colada mix leftover to blend up some drinks for you and whomever else you're planning on sharing your cupcakes with. Lucky you.

Pina Colada Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen regular-sized cupcakes

• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 10 oz dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 14 oz flour
• 2 1/2t baking powder
• 1t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 can (about 16oz) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1c dessicated coconut
• 3oz pina colada mix
• 3oz dark rum

Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.
Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs/yolk one at a time, blending after each addition. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture and mix until just barely combined. Add the rum and pina colada mix and mix until just combined. Fold in pineapple and coconut.
Portion into muffin tins and bake for about 15-20mins, or until the center springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Vanilla-Rum Simple Buttercream

• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1c vegetable shortening
• 1t vanilla extract
• 1/4c dark rum
• 2-3lb confectioner's sugar

Whip together butter and shortening until well combined. Add vanilla, rum and about half the sugar. Whip well, adding more sugar as needed to reach desired texture.

Cupcake Assembly

You will need

• Pina Colada Cupcakes, cooled
• 1 batch Vanilla-Rum Simple Buttercream
• About 1/2c dark rum
• 1c dessicated coconut, toasted
• 2 or 3oz portion scoop
• Pastry brush
• Small knife or spatula

Brush the tops of the cupcakes with rum. (Optional) Using the portion scoop, top each cupcake with a ball of icing. Push the icing to the edges of the cupcake. Put the coconut in a small bowl and roll the tops of the cupcakes in the coconut to create a smooth, coconut covered "dome" of icing.