Piña Colada Cupcakes #GalentinesDayParty

Pina Colada cupcakes + 15 more recipes for a Galentine’s Day celebration!

Does everybody know what day it is?! It’s Galentine’s Day!

What is Galentine’s Day? I’m so glad you asked.

 That’s right! This day, created by the amazing Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation, is all about ladies celebrating ladies. It’s about gathering the girls in your life and telling them how amazing they are, reminding them how much they’re loved, and then stuffing your faces with waffles and omelets. BEST. DAY. EVER.

I figured there was no better way to celebrate my new favorite holiday than by gathering up some of my lady blogger friends and throwing a Galentine’s Day Party for all of you.

Today, we’ve got 16 recipes for you that would  feel right at home at your next Girl’s Night (or late morning) In. We’ve got scones, waffles, ice cream, LOTS of chocolate, and, of course, several recipes for bubbly you won’t want to miss.

I chose to make Piña Colada cupcakes for the party for a few reasons. The first one is pretty obvious: Piña. Coladas. They’re my favorite drink. Something about the refreshing combination of pineapple and coconut just takes me straight to the beach. And there’s my second reason: I am willing to do almost anything to pull myself out of this winter funk and pretend like I’m actually on some tropical island getting the worst sunburn of my life.

The final reason is one you probably didn’t guess. The Mr. is allergic to pineapple. Not like, throat closes us up/gasping for air/fatally allergic, but it does make his tongue swell and cause his tastebuds to stop tasting anything for 3 days. Weird stuff.

Unfortunately, I don’t get the chance to eat a lot of pineapple around here. Buuuut when the husband’s away, the wife will…eat an entire pineapple by herself then get another one to make cupcakes. Yep, I’m wild like that.

Truthfully, this recipe did not happen easily. It took me three tries to finally get the result I wanted. Fittingly, the third try was a success primarily thanks to the good advice of some fabulous lady bloggers. Thanks to them, I’ve now discovered the perfect from scratch white cake recipe (It’s Amanda’s from I Am Baker!), and a wonderful pineapple simple syrup (from Shanna of Pineapple and Coconut, obviously).

These cupcakes are a mash up of all the things that make Piña Coladas so wonderful: Pineapple cupcakes + Coconut Rum Pineapple Filling + Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting + Drink Umbrellas (I had to. It’s Galentine’s Day, and they’re adorable). You can fill these one of two ways: the lazy way or the hard way. The lazy way is to simply drop some pineapple filling into the cupcake batter before baking. The filling sinks to the bottom, but is still crazy delicious. The harder way is to cut a small cone from the top of the cupcake, stuff the filling inside then frost over top. It’s not ridiculously hard, but it does take a little more time. You decide which way is best for you.

Please take a look at all of the fabulous recipes my friends have brought today and take some time to show these awesome ladies some love on their blogs.

And girls? As much fun as this Galentine’s Day party is, I am dead serious about giving the ladies in your life some love. This has been on my heart a lot lately, and I think it’s so needed–for all of us. It’s so easy to waste our time and energy comparing ourselves to the other women in our lives. Or judging them. Or competing with them.

But how much happier and more confident would we all be if instead of comparing or competing we focused on celebrating each other.  This world has plenty of room for all the successful, beautiful, accomplished, talented ladies in the world. It’s not a competition. So let’s spend today and tomorrow and the days after that loving, encouraging, and lifting up the wonderful women in our lives. A hug, a compliment, a little note, and a plate of waffles can go a long way towards making someone feel special.

Thank you to all the lovely women who read this blog. You’re gorgeous. You’re crazy talented. You’re loved.  I wish I could share a table and a round of mimosas with all of you!

Piña Colada Cupcakes

Prep Time 30 minsPrep Time

Cook Time 60 minsCook Time

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins Total Time

Yields 24

0.0 rating

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Ingredients

For the pineapple filling

• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut rum

For the cupcakes

• 1 cup pineapple juice at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites at room temperature
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

For the frosting

• 1 (8oz) block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon coconut (or regular) milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• Toasted coconut, for garnish, if desired

Directions

For the filling:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine crushed pineapple, juice, water, sugar, and coconut rum. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium low and allow the mixture to maintain a gentle boil for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it's finished, the mixture will be thick and amber colored, with the texture of a jam. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, egg white, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed. Add the cubed butter and beat on medium low speed for about 2 minutes. The mixture will be crumbly.
4. Pour all but about ½ cup of the juice mixture into the flour and beat on medium high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the remaining liquid then beat for a final minute.
5. Scoop cupcake batter into the muffin tins, filling about ⅔ of the way. Add one teaspoon of the pineapple filling into each cupcake. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean (except for maybe a little sticky pineapple filling ? My cupcakes started to get a little too brown on the top, so I covered them with foil for the last 5 minutes of baking.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, then remove and cool completely.

For the frosting:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk and extracts. If the mixture seems too thick to spread, add another Tablespoon of milk. Stir in the shredded coconut. If you have any leftover pineapple filling, you can add that as well.

To assemble:

1. Spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes and top with toasted coconut, if desired.

by Courtney

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Thanks for cooking with me today!

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Cake adapted from I Am Baker, Pineapple Syrup adapted from Pineapple and Coconut

Now ladies, let’s PARTY!

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Galentine’s Day Brunch

Sweet Potato Cornmeal Waffles with Bourbon Cream and Pecan Butter from Susan of Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

Chocolate Dipped Donuts from Angie of Big Bear’s Wife

Lemon and Ginger Scones from Lauren of Healthy. Delicious.

Beet, Blood Orange, and Chèvre Salad from Lori of Foxes Love Lemons

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Galentine’s Day Desserts

Piña Colada Cupcakes from Courtney of Neighborfood

Strawberry Chocolate Dessert Bars from Marly of Namely Marly

Banana Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting from Nancy of Gotta Get Baked

One Layer Fudge Cake from Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Double Strawberry Angel Food Cake with Whipped Vanilla Creme Fraiche from Cynthia of Two Red Bowls

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Ice Cream with Candied Bacon Bits from Steph of Girl Versus Dough

Fruity Dessert Pizza from Morgan of Peaches Please

Secret-Ingredient Chocolate Pecan Bites (Gluten Free!) from Karen of The Food Charlatan

DIY Cheesecake Parfait Bar from Heather of Heather’s Dish

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Galentine’s Day Bubbly

Blood Orange Bourbon Fizz with Fried Sage from Lauren of Climbing Grier Mountain

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Martini from Shanna of Pineapple and Coconut

Ladies’ Night Rum Punch from Lindsay of The Live In Kitchen

Be sure to check out our Galentine’s Day Pinterest board for more inspiration for throwing your own Galentine’s Day party!