Next up on the Kailley’s Kitchen summer bucket list…
#5. The aquatic adventure:
- The pool party – Remember what momma said: “Don’t swim right after you eat– you’ll cramp up and drown” …and… “Don’t pee in the pool.” The former is a mere old wives’ tale, but seriously, DON’T PEE IN THE POOL. But back to the food. The key to throwing a killer pool party is having a great spread of foods and beverages that won’t perish in the summer heat. Try Thug Kitchen’s Lavender Lemonade plus rum or vodka, and soak it up with something other than chips, crackers, or “meh” fruit salads. Enjoy bacon in the sun while bakin’ in the sun (maybe wrapped around jalapeño poppers or infused into chocolate chip cookies), or pulled pork sliders with sweet and hot pickles, grilled peaches, or a sneaky watermelon cake.
- The booze cruise – Unlike motorized vehicles that dwell on land, there is no repercussion for having open alcoholic beverages on those vehicles that dwell in water. Whether you’re riding a yacht, a ski boat, or a pontoon, make sure you have some coolers of epic proportions to adequately fit all the fixings for a night worth forgetting (unless you’re manning the ship. DBAA.) Class it up with a bottle of Prosecco, or class is down with shots of Jägermeister– but keep plenty of grub around to munch; sea sickness + excessive intoxication on an empty stomach is a pretty bad party foul.
- River tubing – collect six-pack of craft beer contained in floating cooler, inner tube, waterproof/floating speaker system for your iPod, delightfully redneck playlist, sunscreen, and friends; insert ass in inner tube and commence.
- Skinny dipping – Do it right. Failure to proceed with proper execution may lead to the addition of your name and ugly mug on your local list of sex offenders. And that just ain’t right.
Other ideas: white water rafting, running through sprinklers (because no, you’re really never too old), tropical vacation…
Tropical Cupcakes
Tropical Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
- 2/3 cup cream of coconut (I used Coco Lopez brand-- saunter down the liquor mixers aisle to locate)
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons key lime zest (about 1 key lime)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar
- 5 Tablespoons key lime juice (I used Nellie & Joe's brand)
- 2-3 Tablespoons whole milk (for desired consistency)
- 3-4 drops neon green food dye
- 3 key limes, sliced
- 1/2 cup sugar
For the coconut-pineapple cake:
For the key lime buttercream:
For the sugared key limes:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill cupcake pan with liners
- Place butter and sugar in a mixer and beat until fluffy
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated
- Pour flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a separate bowl and stir until combined
- Gradually add dry ingredients and milk to batter, mixing as you add
- Finally, add shredded coconut and pineapple, mix on low
- Pour batter into cupcake liners and place pan in oven
- Bake for 17-19 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden brown
- Remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack
- While cupcakes are still warm, use a fork to poke a few sets of holes in the top of each cupcake, then drizzle a little cream of coconut on top of each so that the cream of coconut is absorbed into the cake via the fork holes (be sure to gently scrape off excess)
- Beat butter, key lime zest, vanilla, and salt in a stand mixer
- Add confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well between each
- Add key lime juice and food dye and mix
- Add milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency has been reach
- Use a piping bag to pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes
- Once limes have been sliced, dredge through sugar
- Gently shake off excess sugar
- Place lime slices on the tops of the cupcakes so the buttercream holds slices upright
For the coconut-pineapple cake:
For the key lime buttercream:
For the sugared key limes:
Sherri @The Well Floured Kitchen says
What a great combination of flavors. I love the pretty color of the frosting! Is that green just from the juice and zest? This is perfect for a summer party.
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Thanks so much, Sherri! The frosting color is actually the result of 3-4 drops of neon green food coloring; I realized right after you commented that I left that step out in the recipe– it should be fixed now! Without the dye, the frosting was an off-white color with flecks of green from the zest. I hate photographing white frosting on cupcakes (it tends to look a bit flat for my liking), so I added the color to make my job a little easier! =)
Carole says
Lovely work, Kailley! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is collecting snacks and treats? This is the link . I do hope to see you there. There are already quite a lot of links for you to check out. Cheers
Peggy says
The colors are amazing. Where may I purchase the cupcake liners? Very attractive.
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Thanks, Peggy! I buy all my cupcake liners from T.J. Maxx and Homegoods, so they’re probably your best bet!