Piña Colada Cupcakes: SMILE ANGELA!

These cupcakes make me super the happy. They are just so darn cute!

And look how fancy toasted coconut is! One would never know that it's easy.

Well, it seems to be easy. I broiled it. Which, was probably wrong. I imagine there is a process, if someone would tell me what it is, I would love to know what that process is! All I did though was broil the coconut on a cookie sheet, a few minutes and then flipping the coconut over some, then another few minutes, until all of it became a lovely toasty brown.

The edges of my cookie sheet got blackened. Which, indicates I did SOMETHING wrong. But, since the majority of the batch was lovely and looked lovely on the cupcakes, I don't really care.

There is this spectacular cake served at Tommy Bahama Cafe's called The Pina Colada Cake. Whenever my family goes to California in order to visit my spectacular grandparents, we always make it to Tommy's once or twice. Coincidentally, we always get this cake because it is perhaps my all time favorite dessert and everyone else also tends to rave about it.

Smooth, light, coconut cream with pineapple whipped in, layered between thin fluffy cake layers, all coated in toasted cocunut.

I mean. That even reads as delicious.

So, craving that cake, I decided to make these cupcakes to try and satisfy. And it worked.

Make these and be equally charmed by the lightness of coconut and pineapple.

(And yes, if you recognize the tropical cake topping I use, it's from my summer citrus cake. Which is also spectacular and another favorite of which I can never get enough but! These have coconut. That ups the ante.)

Pina Colada Cupcakes

-1 prepared white cake mix 

-3 teaspoons coconut extract

-1 pckg vanilla instant pudding

-1 can (20 oz)  crushed pineapple *(all I had on hand was an 8 oz can which was less pineapple then I think I would have liked but the frosting also held its shape rather nicely and I'm not sure how that would differ with more liquids. So, pick your poison with that choice.)

-1 tub whipped topping, thawed

-1 pckg shredded coconut

Make your cake mix according to package, adding the 3 tsp coconut extract. Bake as directed for cupcakes, allow to cool completely. Lay shredded coconut out on a cookie sheet and toast til golden in oven.

Mix remaining ingredients together and layer HEAVILY onto the cupcakes. Top with toasted coconut. Admire and enjoy :)