I’m not sure how I let this happen, but the last cupcake post I did was in December! That is just way too long to go without some scrumptious cupcakes in your life! For this batch I knew that I wanted something sweet and summery and I wanted to spike it with rum. If you guys truly know me then you know that last part was just kind of a given. We also had some bananas that were becoming way too ripe for my liking and I remembered how much I loved my Toasted Coconut & Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe so I just adapted it into cupcake form. I left out the chocolate chips to avoid this becoming overly sweet since I incorporated some local honey into the frosting. There’s bits of crunchy toasted coconut mixed in with the natural banana flavor of the cake and the airy honey buttercream frosting with a little extra honey drizzled on top pulls it all together!
This recipe was created using a free sample provided by Sailor Jerry Rum. I did not receive payment for this post and all opinions are my own.
(makes 16 cupcakes)
Toasted Coconut Banana Cupcakes:
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut + a little extra for the top
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup Sailor Jerry Rum
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
Rum Spiked Honey Swirl Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup honey + 2 Tbs to drizzle on top
2 Tbs Sailor Jerry Rum
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In a medium sized skillet over low-medium heat, add 1 cup of shredded coconut and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Cook until most of the coconut is a light golden brown. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (176 degrees C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners. The recipe makes 16 cupcakes so you’ll want to line another muffin tin or just wait until the first batch is done cooking.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Slowly mix in bananas, milk, Sailor Jerry Rum, eggs, and vanilla extract until mixture is smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly add to liquid mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in all but about 1/4 cup of the toasted coconut until completely mixed. Set the remaining coconut aside to garnish the cupcakes with.
Fill muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full. Place in the oven to bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes before popping them out and placing them on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
While you’re waiting on the cupcakes to cool you can make your frosting.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter until completely smooth. Add 1/4 cup honey, rum, and vanilla extract and mix again. Slowly mix in powdered sugar about a half cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until frosting is smooth.
Transfer to an icing bag and frost cupcakes once they’re completely cooled. Drizzle remaining honey across the tops of the cupcakes. Add a small pinch of toasted coconut to the tops of each one and serve! These can also be made the night before. Just cover, refrigerate, and allow cupcakes to come back to room temperature before serving.
Enjoy!
