Pina Colada Cupcakes

Pina Colada Cupcakes has got to be one of my favorite desserts to make. Not only is it extremely easy, but it is a huge hit whenever I make it. Yesterday I made a batch for my husband to take to work, and here are some of the comments they made:

"This is easily one of the 10 best frostings I have ever had!"

"Sweet zombie jebus, that was excellent! The frosting wasn't too sweet and there was a delightful 'almost too much' of it. The cupcake itself was moist and lovely. And the right amount of coconut. NOM!"

"OMG! These cupcakes are delicious!"

I came across this recipe years ago in my high school Spanish class. We were having a fiesta day at the end of the school year. For our final homework assignment, my teacher said we had to choose one of the recipes that she had on her desk, make it, and bring it to the fiesta. Of course it was all highly "Americanized" food including, of course, 7 layer bean dip and beef tacos. But I had my eye on the dessert recipe! The teacher had made about 5 copies of each recipe, so there were bound to be repeats of the same dish. But I didn't mind. That just meant there would be some good old competition amongst classmates. And of course, all the girls gravitated towards making the dessert. I was one of the lucky few who grabbed the pina colada cake recipe just in the nick of time.

That night, I went home and set to work on making the cake. Of course, being my usual self, I couldn't just follow the instructions word for word. I had to make a few of my own adjustments here and there. Since the recipe calls for a normal small box of instant pudding mix, I went with the larger 5.1oz box as opposed to the usual 1oz box. This made for a very moist cake. Also, the recipe called for just a sprinkling of coconut on the top of the cake. But with my love for coconut, I patted flaked coconut all over the cake until it looked like a giant snowball!

The next day when I brought in my cake for the fiesta, I proudly set it on the table amongst the other pina colada cakes the other girls had made. To my own slightly evil satisfaction, I smiled as the other girls loudly started to accuse me of buying my cake from the store. Luckily the teacher just shook her head and gave me a wink of approval. "She didn't buy it." She argued. But the girls pressed on, claiming that it looked "too perfect." What a complimentary insult! I couldn't help but laugh. As the fiesta went on, classmate after classmate came up to me after sampling each cake, deeming mine the "best" out of all the cakes there. It was a real "win" moment for me. Ever since, I have been wowing people with this simple recipe. So now, years later, I pass on my secrets in hopes that you too can have a "win" moment with this cake. And if anything, you can just have a fantastic dessert for yourself! Although I warn you, it's hard to resist going back for seconds!

-The recipe is originally for making a bundt cake, but I have found that making it as cupcakes is all the better!-

Pina Colada Cake

Ingredients for cake:
2/3 cup of rum (or 2/3 cup of water with 2 tsp. of rum flavoring)
4 eggs
1 pkg. (5.1oz box is what I use) instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 box of white or yellow cake mix

Blend all ingredients at medium speed until smooth. Pour into greased bundt pan or cupcake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or 20-25 minutes if making cupcakes. Cool and take out of pan. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:
1  8oz can crushed pineapple with juice (I usually use a a 20oz can but only use about 3/4 of the juice. I find it brings out a stronger pineapple flavor.)
1 tsp. rum (or rum flavoring)
1 pkg. (5.1oz box is what I use) instant vanilla pudding
1  9oz container cool whip
Flaked sweetened coconut

Combine pineapple with juice, rum, and pudding. Beat on high speed. Fold in cool whip and frost the cake or cupcakes. Sprinkle cake or cupcakes with coconut. Or if you're like me and love coconut, pack it on so that it covers the whole cake!

*If you really want to be cute, you can top each cupcake with a maraschino cherry to give it that classic pina colada look.

*Tip: Be sure the cake is thoroughly cooled before frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt and drip down the sides. I would sometimes put the cake in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes before frosting to keep the cake from crumbling too much when I frost it. Otherwise, just leave it out at room temperature and make sure it is not warm to the touch at all before frosting.