Pineapple cupcakes with pineapple frosting taste just like Disney’s dole whip. Made with a sweet pineapple filling in the center – these are the perfect summer cupcakes.
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Lately, I have been feeling a little nostalgic and keep thinking back to family holidays. I can almost taste the dole whip at Disney World!
Of all Disney recipes, dole whip has to be at the top of the list. It is amazing how they can make the dairy-free soft serve so creamy without feeling too heavy.
That was the inspiration behind this pineapple dole whip cupcakes recipe. It is a true taste of summer and a great reminder of all the fun times we had as a family.
If you don’t manage to go to one of the Disney theme parks this year, these dole whip cupcakes can give you a little comfort.
What is a Dole Whip?
Dole Whip is a famous dessert you can find at Disney theme parks. It is one of their most popular Disney foods and has been the cause of long lines since the 80s.
The recipe was originally created by the Dole brand, a fruit and canned fruit company. If you’ve ever bought canned pineapple, it was probably theirs.
The dessert is soft-serve ice cream, often served with fruit juice as a dole whip float. Pineapple is probably the best-known flavor but there are other deliciously fruity flavors such as strawberry dole whip and refreshing orange dole whip.
If you want to make your Disney visit even more fun you can ask for the dole whip drink that is only safe for adults. 😉 But if that isn’t part of your plans anytime soon you can also recreate the regular pineapple dole whip at home.
Ingredients for Dole Whip Cupcakes
- Granulated Sugar
- Butter, room temperature
- Large Eggs
- Milk
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Pineapple Juice
- Can of Crushed Pineapple (1-20 oz Can of Crushed Pineapple is needed for the cupcakes and filling.)
Pineapple Filling Ingredients
- Crushed Pineapple
- Lemon Juice
- Butter
- Pineapple Juice
- Cornstarch
- Granulated Sugar
Pineapple Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- Pineapple Juice
- Butter, room temperature
- Confectioners’ Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Yellow Food Coloring or Icing Gel
How to Make Pineapple Cupcakes that Taste like Dole Whip
This recipe is pineapples galore! I made a pineapple cupcake with a pineapple filling and pineapple buttercream frosting. It is a taste of the tropics in cupcake form.
The pineapple cupcake filling and the cake itself are made with both pineapple juice and canned crushed pineapple. The dole whip frosting only has the juice but trust me when I say it is oh so fruity.
It may sound like these dole whip cupcakes have a lot of components but everything comes together quickly. Here are my tips for each element.
How to Make Fruit-Filled Cupcakes
The challenge in fruit-filled cupcakes is that they should create a moist center without being too runny. I wanted strong pineapple flavors so I used pineapple juice for the filling but that also meant I had to be extra selective with the other ingredients to create the right consistency.
The secret ingredient here is cornstarch. It has the same effect as when you would add a pinch of cornstarch to thicken a sauce. The granulated sugar also helps to thicken it, as it does with frosting.
After cooking on the stovetop, it is very important that you let it cool in the refrigerator. Again, this is for consistency purposes. If the filling is too warm, it may affect the texture of the cupcake.
How to Fill Cupcakes
There are two methods I like to use when filling cupcakes. Either make a small cut at the top with a paring knife or use the tip of an icing bag.
Always always always fill a cupcake from the top. The beauty of a cupcake is that no one will ever know the hole is thereafter you decorate it with frosting.
Make the cut just big enough to fit the icing bag tip – no bigger. The bigger the opening is, the more likely the cupcake will fall apart.
Also, like the filling, the cupcake should have had enough time to cool before this step. We want nice firm pineapple dole whip cupcakes.
How to Make Pineapple Frosting for Cupcakes
When making this frosting, I also added a few drops of yellow food coloring. I was surprised that the frosting didn’t come out as very yellow despite the juice.
Don’t attempt to get a more yellow color by adding more pineapple juice. It will become too runny and drip off the sides.
It is also absolutely fine to leave out the yellow food coloring or icing gel. The creamy white frosting still looks very pretty.
Tips for My Dole Whip Cupcake Recipe
I want you to be able to make these cupcakes with as little stress as possible so I thought about some of the questions you might have along the way.
What Can I Substitute for Crushed Pineapple in Recipes?
Besides other crushed fruits, you can also make your own. Frozen pineapple chunks are one of the easiest ways for how to make crushed pineapple.
Put the frozen pineapple chunks in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second intervals until they become soft. You can then mash them with a potato masher or give it a quick blitz with a hand-held blender.
How Long to Cool Cupcakes?
There is no numerical answer to this. It really depends on the room temperature. In other words, your cupcakes might be sitting out for longer during the summer than the winter months.
Before decorating or filling cupcakes, they should be at room temperature. It helps to keep the frosting and filling texture intact but also prevents the pineapple cupcake topper from sinking too deep, in this case.
Should Your Refrigerate Cupcakes?
Cupcakes that have milk or any other milk-based ingredient (except for butter), are best kept cool in the refrigerator. This will keep them from spoiling but unfortunately can also dry them out.
Invest in a good-quality cupcake holder. These may help you to keep cupcakes fresh outside of the fridge for longer.
I hope these pineapple dole whip cupcakes bring you as much joy as they have brought me. I would love to see any other recipes inspired by the Disney dole whip that you make.
Recommended Recipes
- Berry Wine Cupcakes
- Cupcakes for Summer
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Mango Cupcakes with Mango Buttercream
- Raspberry Cupcakes
- Starbucks Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino Cupcakes
Dole Whip Cupcakes with Pineapple Filling
Ingredients
Dole Whip Cupcakes
- 1 ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Butter, room temperature
- 3 Large Eggs
- ½ cup Milk
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Pineapple Juice
- 1 cup Crushed Pineapple, drained (1-20 ounce can of crushed pineapple is needed for the cupcakes and filling.)
Pineapple Filling
- ½ cup Crushed Pineapple, drained
- ½ cup Pineapple Juice
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Corn Starch
- 6 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
Dole Whip Frosting
- 5 tablespoons Pineapple Juice
- 1 cup Butter, room temperature
- 5 cups Confectioners' Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- Yellow Food Coloring or Icing Gel
Instructions
Dole Whip Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners.
- In an electric mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk, and pineapple juice, mix well. Sift or whisk together dry ingredients to break up any lumps. Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Add crushed pineapple.
- Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ full, about 3 tablespoons. Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly touched or a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Pineapple Filling
- While the cupcakes bake, add all of the pineapple filling ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Allow to chill in the refrigerator.
Dole Whip Frosting
- In an electric mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, blend together pineapple juice, butter, and vanilla. Slowly add sugar to the bowl until well blended. If too wet, add more sugar. If too dry add 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Add a few drops of yellow food coloring or icing gel to get a light pastel yellow.
Filling and Decorating
- Add pineapple filling to cooled cupcakes by either cutting a small opening in the top of each cupcake or by using an icing bag with a filling tip.
- Next, top each cupcake with a swirl of Dole Whip frosting and a leaf topper.
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My teacher and class loved the cupcakes. Anyone else wanting to have a delicious snack with pineapple and cake, this is the perfect pastry for you.
I think the recipe is good but I did something wrong because my cupcakes were very crumbly and a little dry. I wish I knew how to correct it for next time.
Hi Kim,
When cupcakes turn out dry it can happen from too much of a dry ingredient being added or too little of a wet ingredient. If all of the ingredients were added correctly, then it can very well be that they were baked too long in the oven. Every oven can vary in baking times depending on how close the food is baked to the heating element and if it is convection vs conventional oven. A convection oven will cook a little quicker because the fan blows the hot air around the food for more even cooking.
Let me know if you need any further help or if you have any questions.
-Tiffany