Lime and Coconut Cupcakes with Pineapple Buttercream

Ooooh..pretty flower!

Hard to believe it is a simple slice of pineapple, isn't it?

If you want to make these then go to Annie's Eats for the instructions. They are very simple. Basically you just slice a pineapple very thin and dry it in the oven for about 1 - 2 hours. Check out the above link to Annie's Eats for step-by-step instructions though.

Anyway, pretty flower aside, these tropical inspired cupcakes were very tasty. Lime and coconut and pineapple were born to be together.

Lime and Coconut Cupcakes with Pineapple Buttercream

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tsp grated key lime zest

2 Tbsp key lime juice

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

 1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 cup toasted coconut

Pineapple Buttercream

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups icing sugar

6 tablespoons well drained crushed pineapple

1 to 2 tablespoons pineapple juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

Beat butter and sugar until light. Add eggs, vanilla, and coconut milk, and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients - including toasted coconut.

Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just incorporated. Do not overmix.

Spoon into prepared liners.

Bake at 350 until cooked, about 25 - 30 minutes. (Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.)

Remove from oven and let cook on wire racks. 

While cupcakes cool, make frosting. Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add icing sugar until smooth. Beat in crushed pineapple and just enough pineapple juice to make it spreadable.

Spread on cooled cupcakes. If desired, top with dried pineapple flower.

A few notes about this recipe:

(1) You can use regular limes if you don't have key limes

(2) You can use heavy cream if you don't have coconut milk but, of course, it will lose a bit of the coconuttiness.

(3) I use salted butter so only add a pinch of salt. If you use UN-salted butter then you should add about 1/4 tsp salt.

I took a couple of different recipes and Frankensteined them to create this recipe for our father. He loves tropical tasting things. Coconut cream pie and such. I wanted to make something a little different than the "usual" fare.

He was fairly impressed.

In his words, "Well, you can make those again."

In case you are wondering what is sprinkled inside of the pineapple flower -- it is coarse decorating sugar. It looked kind of sparkly so I put a pinch in each flower.

I love, love, love the addition of the pineapple flower on top. I think this would be so perfect for a luau themed party.  What do you think?

Check out A Rosie Sweet Home and Carole's Chatter for some great links!