Pina Colada Cupcakes

The week after Easter. The leftovers. The decompression. I made pavochón sandwiches with the leftover lamb on a Friday. Eduardo said, "Carmen, lamb is not pavochón." I said, "Eduardo, the structure is the same. Bread, mojo mayo, sliced meat. The lamb works." He ate it. He admitted it worked.

Tuesday food bank: arroz con pollo. Yolanda is at Asylum Hill but she still does food bank Tuesday occasionally because she misses it. She was there. She made the chicken. She is now the better cook of arroz con pollo at the food bank. I am glad.

Wednesday La Cocina cohort 4 week three: stewed meats. Wes was good with stews. He told me his mother was Italian and his father Polish and his grandmother had taught him to make pierogis. I said, "Wes, the grandmother work is the same everywhere." He nodded. He took notes.

Thursday I sat with Mami for three hours. She was tired. She said, "Carmen, the wake — let us go through it again." I said, "Mami, the wake is set." She said, "Carmen, I want to go through it. I forget the details." I said, "Mami, the pasteles are in the freezer — well, the wake-batch pasteles will be made the week of, the sofrito is ready, the recipe is set. The arroz con dulce will be made fresh that week. The flan will be made fresh — Sofía will make it, with my supervision. The tostones will be made the morning of. Boleros at the wake. Color clothes, no black. Yellow if available. Father Marquez at the funeral mass at St. Augustine. Spanish and English. Both flags. Wake at our house, the day after the funeral." She listened with her eyes closed. She said, "Carmen, it is correct." I said, "Mami, it is correct." She said, "Carmen, when I die — when, not if, when — the family must not fight. There will be no fighting. Tell them now. I have not enough money for them to fight about. The little I have goes to the church and to La Cocina. Eduardo gets my emerald earrings to give to whoever he wants. Sofía gets my recipe cards. Carmen gets the kitchen — wait, you are the kitchen, Carmen. Never mind. Tell the children: do not fight." I said, "Mami, I will tell them." She said, "Carmen, write it down." I wrote it down. Wepa.

After Thursday with Mami — three hours, the wake details, her voice telling me not to let the family fight, me writing it all down — I needed to make something that tasted like where we come from. Not pasteles, not arroz con dulce; those belong to the week of. These pina colada cupcakes are what I made for myself, for Friday morning, for the decompression. Coconut and pineapple together is not complicated. It is the island. It is the reminder that the sweetness is also part of the plan.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 42 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum extract (or 1 tablespoon light rum)
1/2 cup canned coconut milk, well shaken
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
For the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Toasted coconut flakes and small pineapple chunks for garnish

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Beat softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs and extracts. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and rum extract until fully incorporated.
Alternate wet and dry. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the coconut milk in two additions. Begin and end with flour. Mix until just combined — do not overmix.
Fold in pineapple and coconut. Using a spatula, gently fold in the drained crushed pineapple and shredded coconut until evenly distributed.
Fill and bake. Divide batter evenly among the 12 liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 20–22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and tops are lightly golden.
Cool completely. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Do not frost until fully cooled.
Make the frosting. Beat butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, then coconut milk and rum extract. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Frost and garnish. Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Top each with toasted coconut flakes and a small piece of pineapple if desired. Serve the same day or store covered at room temperature up to 2 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pina Colada Cupcakes — The Sweetness We Plan For