Pina Colada Cupcakes

While external temperatures hit 30 degrees in London, I have been stuck in my kitchen for the last two days baking for a school summer fair, a comedy night (more of that later) and for a hen party. I say 'stuck' when obviously I love it or I wouldn't be doing it! However, by the time you've made 30 moustaches out of black Regal ice using a sharp knife and a cocktail stick... well, painstaking is the word. "That looks boring," said my kitchen-sharer.

These Pina Colada cupcakes (pictured above) are part of my current experiment to incorporate alcohol into my recipes because after all, cupcakes aren't just for kids! I'm not someone who loves cupcakes for their sprinkles. For me, a cupcake is a miniature dessert. A few bites of deliciousness (or one large mouthful if you're my official cake-testing other half) without the guilt of sneaking those extra slivers of a full-size cake which really add up to a whole other slice by the time you're finished! I searched the internet for a decent recipe but in the end decided to adapt a basic vanilla cupcake from the trusted Primrose Bakery book, which I really can't recommend enough!

Ingredients

110g unsalted butter, room temperature

225g golden caster sugar

2 large free-range eggs, room temperature

150g self-raising flour, sifted

125g plain flour, sifted

120ml coconut milk (in the world foods aisle at any supermarket)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 large fresh pineapple, cut into small pieces (1 tin would probably be fine)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C (160C fan oven / 350F / gas mark 4) and line a 12-hole tin muffin pan with cases (I always use muffin cases rather than fairy cake cases)

Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth (several minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition.

Combine the flours in a separate bowl and combine the coconut milk and vanilla in a small jug.

Add 1/3 flours to the creamed mixture, beating well. Add 1/3 milk mixture and beat well. Repeat until all the ingredients have been mixed in.

Stir in the pineapple. Use as much or as little as you like, depending on the size of the pieces.

Spoon the mixture into the cases, filling them to about 2/3 full. Bake for about 25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave in their tins for at least five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. I really recommend investing in one of these as sitting them on a plate can leave the bottoms greasy!

Rum and Coconut Buttercream

110g unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tbsp Malibu (coconut rum) - add more to taste

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp coconut milk

400g icing sugar

Desiccated coconut to decorate

Mix all ingredients together. Add more Malibu to your personal taste! Remember if you add a lot, you may need to add more icing sugar to keep it thick. Keep tasting!

Either pipe using an icing bag and star tip or cover with a dome of icing and dip in desiccated coconut. I made the flowers out of Regal ice.

I think these would be perfect for a hen party or girls' night out when you want to bring something delicious but grown up and maybe a little boozy!

As always, contact me for prices or more information. Sold in boxes of six and 12.

Stay tuned for more Cocktail Cupcakes!