My second choice, was a half-batch of pineapple cupcakes, again made with stuff from my pantry.

For the cupcakes:

1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened (again, as with the White chocolate and macadamia nut cupcakes and all of my cupcake recipes, I use salted butter)

1 cup superfine sugar

2 cups self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup drained crushed pineapple (I used more than this, a large tin)

For the frosting:

1 cup cream cheese, softened (1 pack)

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tbsp lemon juice

1tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Place 18 baking cups in muffin pans (going on my experience with the first batch, I made 13 cupcakes with the half batch).

Combine all the cupcake ingredients, except the pineapple, in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the pineapple. Spoon the batter into cups.

Bake for 20 minutes (again, due to making more cupcakes, with less filling, it takes less time to cook.  I cooked these for 15 minutes even and they were perfectly cooked).

Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.

To make the frosting, slowly beat the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and soft.  Add the lemon juice and vanilla, and beat briskly until well combined.  Spread the frosting on to the cooled cupcakes and garnish with the chopped nuts.

I definitely liked these cupcakes, even though the cake itself didn’t have a strong enough pineapple flavour.  They were very tasty! The frosting tastes too much of cream cheese, I added extra lemon juice, but it still wasn’t flavoured enough.  Hubby and I both preferred these cupcakes though and I’d definitely make them again!