Recipe Inspiration from The Prairie Girl Cupcake Cookbook

Piña Colada Cupcakes


  • 1 batch Golden Buttermilk Cupcakes (see below)
  • 1 batch Piña Colada Icing (see below)
  • 1/2 cup angel flake coconut, lightly toasted
  • Paper parasols, available in party or dollar stores,1 per cupcake


  1. Frost or pipe the Piña Colada Icing onto the Golden Buttermilk Cupcakes.
  2. Sprinkle each cupcake with toasted coconut (about 2 teaspoons for Prairie Girlsize and regular size, and 1 teaspoon for minis) and garnish with a parasol.

Pina Colada Cupcake

Golden Buttermilk Cupcakes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups 3.5% buttermilk
  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-size bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
  3. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on medium-high speed, cream the sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy, about 8 minutes. Stop the mixer twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. One at a time and with the stand mixer on medium speed, add the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks. Beat for an additional minute or until fully blended.
  5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a wooden spoon, alternately mix in the flour mixture and buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture, and make sure not to overbeat the batter.
  6. Place cupcake liners into the cupcake pan(s). Using a large spoon, divide the batter equally among the liners. If making mini or regular cupcakes, fill each liner three-quarters full. If making Prairie Girlsize cupcakes, you can fill each liner to the top (the “crown” in the pan allows the cupcakes to rise and not overflow).
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 12 minutes for mini cupcakes and 15 to 17 minutes for the regular size and Prairie Girlsize cupcakes. When done, the cupcakes will be pale yellow and the tops will spring back when lightly touched. If there is a raw circle in the center, the cupcakes need a minute or two of additional baking time.
  8. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes until they can be easily removed to a rack. Cool the cupcakes completely on the rack before icing them.


Piña Colada Icing

  • 1 1/2 cups salted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 oz (? of a 250 g package) brick-style cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered freeze-dried pineapple
  • 1 Tbsp whipping cream (35% fat)
  • 1 Tbsp pure pineapple jam
  • 1 tsp white or light rum
  • 6 cups icing sugar
  1. Place the butter, cream cheese, freeze-dried pineapple, cream, jam, rum, and 3 cups of the icing sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat on low speed until all of the ingredients are combined, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper.
  2. With the mixer on medium speed, add the rest of the icing sugar 1 cup at a time. Stop the mixer twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl, folding from the bottom until everything is blended together. This should take about 5 minutes in total.
  3. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the icing for an additional 4 minutes.

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