Coconut and pineapple cupcakes (vegan)

It’s been a bit chilly this past week, so I have decided to bring some of the tropics to your kitchen!

What is more reminiscent of the beach than pineapple and coconut? It is a wonderful combination and the addition of the pineapple makes these cupcakes super moist.

What you’ll need:

Batter:

1 cup                     coconut milk (you can also use rice or soy milk)

1 TBS                     apple cider vinegar

1 ½ cups               cake flour

½ tsp                     baking powder

½ tsp                     bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp                     salt

1 tsp                      vanilla extract

¾ cup                    white sugar

¼ cup                    coconut oil, melted

¼ cup                    canola oil

⅓ cup                    shredded coconut

⅓ cup                    crushed pineapple

Icing:

½ cup                    vegan butter/margarine, softened but not melted

1 ½ cups               icing sugar

¼ cup                    shredded coconut

¼ cup                    crushed pineapple

1 tsp                      vanilla extract

How to do it:

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Give them a little spray of non-stick spray.
2. In a small jug combine the plant milk and apple cider vinegar. Give it a little stir and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Give it a quick whisk to make sure it is incorporated properly.
4. In a separate bowl, add the sugar, oils, vanilla, and plant milk mixture. Whisk this together with a hand whisk until it is well combined.
5. Add the pineapple and coconut to the wet ingredients and stir through.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. You do not want to see any raw flour, but you do not want to over mix it because your cupcakes will lose their lightness.
7. Portion the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. My batch made 12 exactly. The batter should come up ¾ of the way up the liner.
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. They will also be a little golden around the edges of their tops.
9. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.

Icing:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter. Using a whisk attachment or even an electric handheld whisk, beat until it’s light and creamy.
2. Add the icing sugar and beat again until it becomes light and fluffy.
3. Add the pineapple and coconut, stir this through by hand just until it’s combined.
4. Pipe onto your cooled cupcakes, top with some shredded coconut and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did! As always, if you try them out drop me a message and let me know how they turned out and what improvements you made! Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @ninarlasvegas.

Love and health to all of you, and happy baking!

xx

N