My pineapple cupcakes recipe is the ultimate tropical shortcut! I use just a few simple pantry staples to transform basic yellow cake mix into a high-end dessert. By relying on the natural acidity of canned pineapple juice and crushed pineapple, I create a cupcake that’s way more tender than boxed mix alone. Topped with a stable, pipe-able pineapple cream cheese frosting and a classic maraschino cherry, these are the perfect semi-homemade treat for summer potlucks and luaus.
Cake Mix Cupcakes with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
When summer rolls around, I’m always looking for new ways to bring tropical flavors to my dessert table, and right now, it’s all about pineapple! These cupcakes are my latest pride and joy because they prove you don’t need to bake from scratch to get an amazing result. By folding crushed pineapple directly into the batter, I get an incredible boost of moisture and a subtle texture that elevates a standard box mix into something you could buy at a bakery.
To balance the sweetness, I’ve topped these with a tangy pineapple cream cheese frosting that holds its shape perfectly for transport. Finished with maraschino cherries and a few pineapple chunks, they are the ultimate showstopper for your next summer potluck or backyard BBQ.
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Pineapple: More than Just Flavor!
Adding pineapple to your cupcake batter does more than just create a delicious tropical flavor. It also creates an incredibly moist and delicate texture. The natural acids in pineapple juice tenderize the cupcakes in much the same way that buttermilk does in my favorite WASC cake, creating a melt-in-your-mouth crumb. That acidity also gives a boost to the leavening agents in the cake mix, creating high-rising cupcakes that are impeccably light. Finally, it adds tons of moisture to the batter and holds onto that moisture for longer, so these cupcakes stay soft for days after baking!
Pineapple Cupcakes Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Cupcake Tin
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set (optional)
Ingredients
For the Pineapple Cupcakes:
- 1 cup pineapple juice *
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted (2 sticks)
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pineapple extract optional, but recommended for extra flavor**
- ½ cup crushed pineapple ***
- 26.5 ounces yellow cake mix (2 (13.25-ounce) boxes)
For the Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (2 sticks)
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (1 brick)
- 2-3 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Topping (Optional):
- Maraschino Cherries
- Fresh pineapple pieces
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-count cupcake tin with paper liners and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Mix the pineapple juice, butter, eggs, vanilla, pineapple extract (if using), and crushed pineapple pieces in a large bowl.1 cup pineapple juice, 1 cup unsalted butter, 6 large eggs, 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ½ cup crushed pineapple, 1 teaspoon pineapple extract
- Add in the cake mix and mix until just combined.26.5 ounces yellow cake mix
- Fill each cavity in the prepared muffin tin ¾ of the way full with batter.
- Place in the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.
- Once cool enough to touch, remove cupcakes from the tin and repeat the baking process with the remaining batter.
- Once all cupcakes are baked, cool them completely before frosting, about 1-2 hours.
For the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, pineapple juice, vanilla, and salt. Beat on a medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, until smooth.5 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 2-3 tablespoons pineapple juice, 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Spoon frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip of your choice.
- Pipe frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes.
- Top with maraschino cherries and pineapple pieces.Fresh pineapple pieces, Maraschino Cherries
Notes
- Strain the crushed pineapple through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove excess moisture. Then, pat dry with paper towels before adding to the batter to prevent soggy cupcakes.
- Optionally, toss the drained crushed pineapple with 1 tbsp of the dry cake mix before adding it to the wet ingredients. This coating helps the fruit pieces suspend evenly in the batter.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter once the flour mixture is added in. Overmixing can cause the gluten to overdevelop, resulting in crumbly cupcakes.
- The batter may look curdled from the acid in the pineapple juice; this is normal and will not affect the final outcome.
- When it comes to the frosting, using room-temperature butter is best. Set it out an hour before you make the frosting.
- When mixing the frosting, stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. This will ensure a smooth and creamy lump-free frosting.
- Add the pineapple juice 1 tbsp at a time. You may find you only need a little to get the flavor without losing the structural integrity needed for piping.
- If topping with Maraschino cherries, pat them dry with paper towels so they don’t bleed red dye into the frosting.
- Wait to add the cherries and/or pineapple pieces until just before serving so they don’t make the frosting watery.
- Nutritional information does not include the optional toppings.
How to Make Pineapple Cupcakes with Cake Mix Step-by-Step
Mix the Wet Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350°F, line a 12-count cupcake tin with paper liners, and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Set it aside. Next, mix 1 cup of pineapple juice, 1 cup of melted unsalted butter, 6 large room-temperature eggs, 1½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of pineapple extract (if using), and ½ cup of crushed pineapple in a large bowl. I like to drain the crushed pineapple to remove excess moisture, and you can toss the pieces in a little bit of the dry cake mix before folding them in to help suspend them in the batter. Don’t panic if it looks a bit curdled–it’s totally normal!
Fold in the Dry Ingredients: Add in 26.5 ounces (2 boxes) of yellow cake mix and mix until just combined. Take care not to overmix, or your cupcakes will turn out dry and tough. Mix just until you no longer see dry streaks of flour.
Portion the Cupcakes: Fill each cupcake well ¾ of the way full with batter. I like to use a cookie scoop or a ¼-cup measuring cup to get my cupcakes all approximately the same size so they bake up at the same rate.
Bake the Cupcakes: Place your pineapple cupcakes in the preheated oven on the center rack and bake for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool enough to touch, remove cupcakes from the tin and repeat the baking process with any remaining batter. Once all cupcakes are baked, cool them completely before frosting, about 1-2 hours.
Make the Pineapple Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 5 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup of room-temperature unsalted butter, 8 ounces (1 brick) of room-temperature cream cheese, 2-3 tablespoons of pineapple juice (start with 1 tablespoon, and add more as needed), 1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Beat on a medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, until smooth. Stop periodically and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure the frosting is evenly mixed.
Frost the Cupcakes: Spoon your pineapple cream cheese frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip of your choice (I used a Wilton 1M). If you don’t have a piping bag, a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off works great. Pipe the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes, then top with maraschino cherries and pineapple pieces, if desired. If using Maraschino cherries, I highly recommend patting them dry first so they don’t bleed any red dye into the frosting.
How to Store
Store frosted pineapple cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy at room temperature for the best flavor. I do not recommend freezing these, because the crushed pineapple can cause the cupcakes to turn mushy once thawed, and the frosting does not freeze well either.
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