Everybody loves a good cupcake. I recently purchased these cute little cupcake liners & was dying to make some kind of new cupcake. Oh my, did I ever. I’m telling you, the whole house smelled like suntan lotion while they were baking. Like Hawaiian Tropic had exploded up in here or something. That’s why I named them island cupcakes.
It smelled so tropical & somewhat took me away ~ almost like a “Calgon moment” while they were baking. That’s why I added the little umbrella. 
And the best part is: it was a BOXED mix (with some other stuff added to it). Yep, a boxed mix. The icing was completely homemade, and did this awesome little cupcake the sweet justice it was worthy of. Can you tell I’m a little excited?
The boxed mix was Duncan Heinz Coconut Supreme cake mix. I added Jell-O instant banana cream pudding mix and a little Kahlua.
I filled the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. These little cups were so pretty, I didn’t want to mess them up with batter splattered all over them. So I poured the batter in a big zip-lock baggie and squeezed it out of the corner into the little liners.
And I baked each cupcake tin one at a time instead of placing both pans in the oven so I’d be sure they’d bake & brown evenly. 18 minutes later:
Oh yes they did. I used a recipe for homemade white icing and topped them with shredded sweetened coconut.
I’ve never considered myself too much of a “baker”, so I was really proud of these. It’s amazing how something so simple as a cute little cupcake liner can inspire you. If you’re wondering where to purchase them, I ordered these online at ShopSweetLulu.com.
I’m telling you, these cupcakes come from a box but they will take you someplace magical. They’re definitely worth every. single. calorie.
Ingredients
- (1) 18.25 ounce box Duncan Heinz Coconut Supreme cake mix
- (1) 3.4 ounce box Jell-O instant banana cream pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup Kahlua
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, room temperature
- 24 ounces (1 1/2 boxes) confectioners' sugar
- 1/8 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners (24).
- Mix all cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Increase speed to medium and mix for approximately 2 minutes, until well blended. Do not over-beat.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners, about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown & toothpick inserted in center is removed clean.
- Place on wire cooling rack & cool completely before frosting.
- Using electric mixer, mix butter on high speed until soft & fluffy.
- Reduce speed to low & slowly add confectioners' sugar, a little at a time while mixing.
- Once all confectioners' sugar is added, add milk & vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat mixture until it is light & fluffy (approximately 3 minutes).
- Using piping bag, swirl frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with coconut.
Icing recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
This is the absolute BEST cupcake I’ve ever eaten. Most often when something is so very pretty, it tastes kind of bland… NOT this one! The perfect combination of tropical flavors will definitely take you away! It is not possible to eat just one!