These pineapple cupcakes are moist, buttery, and loaded with crushed pineapple. They are paired perfectly with coconut buttercream for a tropical treat.
About Pineapple Cupcakes
I am a huge fan of fruity desserts. So it should come as no surprise that I want to fruit in all my desserts. It’s a habit that I can’t control.
These cupcakes have been on my mind for quite some time now. I made batch after batch to develop the best recipe possible. And these are fabulous! I’m sure they’d be even more fabulous with pineapple frosting swirled on top!!
I’ve used the base for my pina colada cupcakes and it turned out amazing.
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It took me countless days to achieve a moist, buttery cupcake that was full of crushed pineapple and made completely from scratch. I’d seen recipes that called for box cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple.
Yeah, it’s simple and probably delicious but you know how we do it here. We bake from scratch whenever possible.
I decided to top these pineapple cupcakes with the whipped coconut buttercream frosting that I shared with you on Wednesday. Why?
Because it was darn good, that’s why. A tender pineapple-y cupcake with a puff of silky coconut buttercream. What more could you ask for?
Stop what you are doing right now and go bake these cupcakes. It will be the best 30 minutes you’ve ever spent. They are amazing!
Tips for making Pineapple Cupcakes:
- Measure the flour correctly! Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level with the back of a knife. For more accurate measurements, it’s best to weigh the ingredients.
- The recipe calls for one 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple. Crushed pineapple will be broken down much more than pineapple chunks. Make sure you are in fact using crushed pineapple.
- Use the entire contents of the can of crush pineapple. The juice and all the pineapple bits!
- Test your baking powder! If the baking powder is no longer effective, the cupcakes will not rise. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to 1/4 cup warm water. The baking powder should fizz moderately if it is fresh. You’ll need to replace the baking powder if there’s no reaction.
Helpful Tools
Pineapple Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cups (216 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (53 grams) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (8-ounce) can (234 grams) crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1 recipe coconut buttercream frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar, continue to beat for 3 minutes.
- With the mixer set to low, beat in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Beat in the crushed pineapple and its juice. Add the flour, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Top with coconut buttercream frosting.
Mercedes Marie Kotchev says
June 2, 2019 at 8:58 amHow long will these last ?
Jen Sobjack says
June 3, 2019 at 10:36 amThe cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 4.
Terry C. says
May 30, 2019 at 1:00 amCan I make these with canola oil and get good results? I have made some other cupcake recipes that called for butter and it seems to do pretty well.
Thank you. I am so ready to try your recipe. I’m thinking about frosting with a cherry butter cream with some diced up and well drained maraschino cherries and using a bit of the juice for the liquid. Kind of like a pineapple upside down cake combination. YUM! 😋
Jen Sobjack says
May 30, 2019 at 10:05 amGenerally, you can use 3/4 cup of canola oil for every cup of butter but I haven’t made these cupcakes with oil so I’m sure exactly how well it will work.
Terry C. says
May 30, 2019 at 12:44 pmWell I think I might give it a try. I love butter and the flavor it gives, but thought I might try the oil. I will let you know how it goes. 🤞😄👩🍳
Amy says
May 17, 2019 at 7:02 amThese were seriously delicious. I love this recipe. I made a double batch for a cupcake challenge at my work and they were a big hit. I used the coconut cream in the frosting (10 tbsp in a double recipe). The cupcakes were moist with a subtle flavour–a little dense, like a hummingbird cake. I did measure the flour correctly, but I also have a tendency to overmix my batter so that may have been a factor in the texture. I topped them with shredded coconut and pineapple flowers (sort of following this tutorial here: https://ashleemarie.com/make-dried-pineapple-flowers-video-tutorial/). I love the subtlety of the flavours. This is the sort of cupcake where you take a bite and think “mmmm that is good. What is it?” Case in point, I told my husband it was coconut icing and he still thought it was cream cheese. it’s definitely not cream cheese icing, but it can be a bit difficult to place the flavours, which adds an air of mystery to the cupcake. The icing is silky and fluffy, not your average buttercream but not tangy enough for creamcheese and not quite the right texture for a whipcream. The cake is buttery and moist with a hint of something fruity, but what could it be? This can make you seem like a creative, pro baker, even though at the end of the day the recipe is pretty simple.
Jen Sobjack says
May 17, 2019 at 11:32 amThanks for sharing the feedback, Amy. We love these cupcakes and I’m thrilled you feel the same!
Serena says
May 14, 2019 at 9:28 pmI made it last week, and is DELICIOUS!! Very moist and yummy. Can I try with canned peach? BTW, I used 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract, and it has a very refreshing taste. Thanks.
Jen Sobjack says
May 15, 2019 at 4:36 pmI’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the cupcakes. I haven’t tried this will canned peaches so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Breezy says
April 7, 2019 at 7:08 pmThe recipe says 12 servings; however, my batter came out looking like it could make 36 or so. I have yet to bake, but 8oz seems like a lot of liquid!
Jen Sobjack says
April 8, 2019 at 9:17 amYou should be using 8 ounces of crushed pineapple which is not all liquid. There’s a video in the post that shows how the batter should look and the recipe does yield just 12 cupcakes.
B. says
March 19, 2019 at 11:21 amMine turned out dense and more like a muffin, but were still tasty. They probably needed more liquid since even the batter was pretty thick. I’d guess maybe the can of pineapple I used had less juice. At any rate I’ll add some milk next time.
Jen Sobjack says
March 19, 2019 at 5:25 pmIt’s also quite possible you didn’t measure the flour properly. I have an entire post dedicated to how to measure flour for my recipes to work.
Barb Capps says
January 19, 2019 at 5:07 pmMade the cupcakes and very good. I made mistake and only used 1/4 c of white sugR and still good. I had leftover pineapple from a cream cheese spread I made so looked up cup cakes. Thanks
Tiffany says
May 15, 2018 at 1:10 pmHi! I’ve made these cupcakes numerous times and they’re ALWAYS a hit! I’ve made them as mini loaves as well and those took 25-30 minutes to fully bake. If I tried doing it in a bundt pan, how long do you think it would taje to cook through? And would you double it for a bundt pan?
Jen Sobjack says
May 16, 2018 at 3:37 pmThat’s a great question! I think you could safely double the recipe and bake it in a 10-cup bundt pan for about 50-65 minutes.
Melissa D. says
May 7, 2018 at 4:29 pmI made a triple batch for work. I changed the recipe by using 2 tablespoons of vanilla, 1 tablespoon of orange extract & 32 oz of crushed pineapple (rather than the 24oz) & one & a half tsps baking soda. The cupcakes rose nicely, but even with the extra pineapple, the flavor is bland. The Orange extract did a little to help the flavor. These really need pineapple extract if you want to taste the flavor in the batter. Otherwise, they’re just a plain cupcake with chunks of pineapple in them.
Priyanka says
April 17, 2018 at 11:07 pmOMG… these came out just perfect. So delic.. thank you Jen for a wondeful recipe. And yes i agree, pineapple extract added more flavor and would probably be the correct one to use insteadf of almond.
Jen Sobjack says
April 18, 2018 at 3:28 pmI’m so happy you enjoyed the cupcakes!
Lindsey says
March 27, 2018 at 10:36 pmAfter reading through all the comments, good and bad, I decided to try these out. I’ve been looking for a recipe for a dinosaur luau we’re throwing my son for his 2nd birthday. After making a half trial batch, I think I figured out why some people are finding these cupcakes too dense or just not turning out. I will make these again, and next time I will add the pineapple in after the egg, and incorporate well, very well- I was surprised how long it took to get the pineapple w/ juice to incorporate. Adding the flour last will allow me to stir less, until just incorporated, and will hopefully yield a lighter result. I also threw in some passion fruit extract- yum! Just topped the trial cupcakes with Reddi-whip; delicious and easy!
Terri Frias says
March 5, 2018 at 6:35 pmMaybe you can help, every time I make a yellow cupcake and this as well always come out dark. What am I doing wrong. They were delicious though.
Terri
Jen Sobjack says
March 6, 2018 at 11:09 amThere are a number of reasons why this can happen. If you are using a dark colored or non-stick pan, this can have an effect on browning. Also, the oven could cause this if it has hot spots.
Natalie says
November 7, 2017 at 5:13 pmThird time making these today and I can’t wait!!!! Absolutely Devine. I do make two changes though. I only use 1/4 cup sugar and when I’m time poor I use Betty Crocker premade icing and sprinkle coconut on top of each. They are absolutely perfect and something my hubby keeps asking for.
Jen Sobjack says
November 8, 2017 at 2:00 pmThese are also some of our favorites!
Alison says
July 16, 2017 at 2:38 amHi, I am wondering why there is no baking soda in this recipe? I made it the first time following the recipe exactly and they didn’t rise too much (but were still really yummy! thanks!) and I made a second time today, but added in 1/2 tsp of baking soda, and they rose a lot higher this time around, so I’ll definitely make these again but maybe add in a touch of baking soda to make them rise a bit more 🙂