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
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:
- 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:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners and spray with cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, egg white, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, then remove and cool completely.
For the frosting:
- 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:
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes and top with toasted coconut, if desired.
Thanks for cooking with me today!
If you made this, I'd love for you to share a photo of your creation on my Facebook page, and don't forget to join the NeighborFood community to get recipes, meal plans, and a special members-only newsletter delivered straight to your inbox!
Cake adapted from I Am Baker, Pineapple Syrup adapted from Pineapple and Coconut
Now ladies, let’s PARTY!
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
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
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!
Shannon Dunne says
What a fun post! Those cupcakes look divine…And I totally love Parks and Rec 🙂
Happy Galentine’s Day for sure!!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
Thanks Shannon. Isn’t it the best? The characters crack me up every time!
Marly says
Thanks so much for organizing such a great event! These cupcakes look divine!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
Thanks for joining in Marly!
Heather Disarro says
BEST EVER! Thank you for setting this fun little event up! I love all the amazing food!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
Thanks for joining us Heather! Too bad we couldn’t be enjoying all of this in person!
cynthia says
I am in looooove with these, Courtney! (Funny that we both had to do our recipes three times to get them right. But now we know they’re tried and true!) One of my favorite desserts is a Hong Kong / Taiwanese pineapple cake, but I’ve never been a fan of the shortbread around the filling — this reminds me of those, but with fluffy gorgeous cake around it instead. Drooling.
Thanks so much for putting this awesome event together!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
I’m so glad you could join us! It sucks having to remake stuff, but I will say it’s very satisfying when they finally turn out.
Liz says
Oh, man, your tropical cupcakes sound fantastic, Courtney! I’d turn up the heat, close my eyes and savor every bite. Then go back for more! Thanks for organizing this great group of bloggers for this marvelous Galentine’s Day Party!!! xo
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
That’s definitely the way to enjoy these. Maybe put on some island music too! 🙂
Lindsay @ the Live-In Kitchen says
You are awesome Courtney! I love your heart. I have always had a hard time making girlfriends. I would just sit back and wait for someone to be my friend. I’ve realized that when I make the effort to compliment someone or do something thoughtful for them it comes back to me tenfold. Also, your husband is allergic to pineapple?? So sad. Thanks for organizing this party. Your cupcakes look amazing!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
Me too Lindsay…I especially struggled making friends after college. It’s tough to put yourself out there and open up to someone, but it’s also so rewarding. I’m so glad you were able to join us today!
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
Oh my gosh Courtney I’m dying over all those gifs. You rock. Thanks so much for putting this party together Courtney it is SO FUN! PS These cupcakes? Amazing. I’m obsessed with pineapple but am also slightly allergic. Not as bad as your husband, just tongue swelling. But that doesn’t stop me from throwing down an entire pineapple, standing over the sink with juice dripping down to my elbows like a heathen. so good!
Lori | Foxes Love Lemons says
Ohhhh, these turned out so lovely, Courtney. I know how much work you put into them, and it was worth every minute. Now go gorge on even more pineapple, lady! Thanks so much for organizing this fun party!
Nancy says
Best post ever, Courtney. I’m dying over all the hilarious GIFs and I LOVE the meme that took you over an hour to create. Your cupcakes and photos are just beyond. I know how much work you put into making the cupcakes (three tries!!! You’re a determined lady) and into getting this group together. Thanks for making this happen. I had so much fun making something worthy of Galentine’s Day and blogging about it, now I’m gonna enjoy reading everyone’s posts and sharing over the next few days. You’re totally right about the lady love – my female friends have been with me since the very beginning and have supported me through everything. I want to run out and give all of them big hugs! Sending you virtual hugs today. Happy Galentine’s Day, Courtney!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
So these are the most adorable cupcakes I ever did see. I bet they taste even better than they look!
Thanks for putting together this awesome gal-pal party. Wish we could all celebrate together in real life!
Climbing Grier Mountain says
Thank you so much for making Galentine’s Party happen!! And these cupcakes, loving!
Alice Choi says
I love the sentiment behind this! How wonderful and what a great idea! love your cheery, festive cupcakes and love what you said about celebrating female friendships and loving, encouraging, and lifting up the wonderful women in our lives! Since moving here to Madison, WI, it’s been hard to meet new people and make real friendships. . I am having lunch tomorrow, on Valentine’s Day, with my one special girlfriend (my friend’s wife, the only real friend I’ve made since being out here). I completely agree with you. . friendships are powerful and real ones are life changing. Love this post! 🙂
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Happy Galentines Day, Courtney! I love the party and thank you for asking me to be a part of it! Love the cupcakes!
littleredkitchen says
I love all the GIF’s! Thank you, you beautiful tropic fish for putting this amazing party together! What you wrote about us women sticking together and praising each other is so true. Your cupcakes are totally making me feel like I’m on a beach right now, which I really wish I was. Too bad it’s storming outside my window!
Connie | URBAN BAKES says
Happy Galentine’s Day Courtney! This was a great party that you hosted! I love the idea. And your cupcakes are way too cute. It’s taking me to Summer in the midst of this terrible NY weather.
Shanna @ pineapple and coconut says
You KNOW how much I love these!!! Thanks for hosting this was so much fun. I just wish we had been able to have the party in person!! Maybe next year!
Christine says
This must have been hard to classify. Was it a cake? Was it a cocktail? Only trying two or three will tell!
Morgan says
The cupcakes look great, Courtney! You and your bad pineapple-binging self did a bang up job with both this recipe and the Galentine’s Day Party!
Joanne (eats well with others) says
I don’t think I really appreciated Galentine’s Day enough until seeing all of your posts!! These are FABULOUS. Pina coladas are my fave…though I am slightly allergic to pineapples as well! So random.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
Do you have the same reaction to mango? My husband gets it with mango too. Super weird.
Joanne (eats well with others) says
Sometimes, but not as often. Avocado gives me the same kind of reaction.