How To Make The Best Bahama Mama Cupcakes
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Soaked in the rich notes of Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Rum, these cupcakes are topped with luscious coconut and pineapple-orange frosting.
To finish these delectable tropical delights, a maraschino cherry sits on top with a pipette of spiced rum…
Just one bite of this perfect dessert will transport you to the beach vacation of your dreams!
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we recommend reading through the blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
Bahama Mama Cupcakes
Embark on a culinary voyage to the Caribbean with our Bahama Mama Cupcakes recipe!
This sumptuous tropical dessert combines vibrant citrus and exotic coconut with a hint of rum, promising a burst of flavor in every bite.
If you love Bahama Mama cocktails, you are going to LOVE these cupcakes!
Starting with an orange cake mix, the recipe becomes increasingly intriguing with the addition of chopped maraschino cherries and a splash of orange vanilla rum for that extra zest.
Baked until golden and cooled, these cupcakes are the perfect base for the heavenly frosting.
These cupcakes feature two types of frosting: a rich, creamy coconut and a tangy pineapple-orange, both delicately spiked with rum.
Using an ice cream scoop for the coconut rum frosting ensures an attractive and uniform layer before dipping it into a sea of colorful sprinkles.
The pineapple-orange frosting is a delightful blend of two flavors, visually stunning with its two-tone effect.
Crowned with a maraschino cherry and a sprinkle of toasted coconut, these cupcakes don’t just taste exceptional—they look the part too.
And if that wasn’t enough cocktail cupcake goodness, there is a mini pipette of spiced rum inserted into the top of the cupcake for you to inject even more flavors of the Caribbean.
These Bahama Mama Cupcakes are sure to impress at all kinds of celebrations!
Whether that is a tropical-themed party, a backyard BBQ, a summer dinner party, a beach bonfire, or simply to add a touch of sunshine to an everyday dinner, these treats bring the allure of the tropics to your table!
Here are some more of our favorite summertime desserts for you to try: Atlantic Beach Pie, Orange Margarita Truffles, Pineapple Sheet Cake with Crumble Topping, and Summer Citrus Yogurt Cake Recipe.

Reasons Why You’ll Love Bahama Mama Cupcakes
- A tropical flavor combination that transports you to the beach
- Two-tone frosting that’s a feast for the eyes
- The unexpected fun of a spiced rum pipette

What Can I Serve With Bahama Mama Cupcakes?
- Jerk Hamburgers: Spice-forward dish that pairs wonderfully with the sweet cupcakes
- Spicy Mango Salsa: A refreshing side that complements the tropical flavors
- Caribbean Rum Punch: To keep the party going with more Caribbean flair

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers such as Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Bahama Mama Cupcakes & Frosting Ingredients
- Box of Orange Cake Mix – plus whole milk, eggs, and oil to make the cake. If you cannot find an orange cake mix, use a yellow cake mix instead and add a few drops of orange extract.
- Maraschino Cherries
- Chilled & Dairy – Heavy Whipping Cream, Unsalted Butter
- Powdered Sugar – also known as Icing Sugar and Confectioner’s Sugar.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Always buy good vanilla, as it makes a flavor difference.
- Alcohol – Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Rum, Malibu Coconut Rum, Malibu Pineapple Rum, Orange Rum, Captain Morgan Dark Spiced Rum
There are several different rums in these cupcakes, adding different levels of flavor. If you only have one or two of them in your liquor cabinet, replace them as needed in the recipe. Or, if you need to buy liquor for these cupcakes, a tropical rum would be a good all-around choice.
Decorating Ingredients
- Food Coloring Gel – You will need orange and lemon yellow.
- Orange, White & Yellow Sprinkles – you can use any sprinkles you like! Make your own mix with different single sprinkle types, or buy a ready-made mix. Whatever you use, you will want about 2 cups to decorate the cupcakes.
- Shredded Coconut – toasted to sprinkle onto the frosting. Some orange zest would also be a wonderful addition.

Cupcake Decorating Equipment
- Cupcake Pan
- Cupcake Liners
- Ice Cream Scoop – with a trigger button. The scoop helps to get even portions of the cupcake mixture.
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Electric Mixer – either a handheld or standing mixer.
- Mixing Bowls
- Small Angled Spatula
- Rubber/Silicone Spatula
- Large Piping Bag – You can use disposable or reusable, your choice.
- Large Star Tip – for example, Wilton 1M
- Mini (4ml) Pipettes – for the rum shot
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).

Bahama Mama Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Cupcake Making Tips
- These cupcakes are made using a box of cake mix.
- Use your choice of cupcake liners – themed to the cupcakes, plain white or black, or a complementary color.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the cupcake mixture equally between the liners. Fill them about three-quarters full.
- The cupcakes should be ready in about 20 minutes – test their doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cakes. It should come out clean when the cupcakes are cooked all the way through. Bake for an extra 2 minutes and check again.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Keep cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to a week
Cupcake Frosting Tips
- Making frosting in the large bowl of an electric standing mixer is our preferred method. Combine the butter and some of the powdered sugar on low speed. You can then add the rest of the powdered sugar and any flavorings. If you add all the sugar at once and mix quickly, you can make a mess of your kitchen!
- You can use an electric hand mixer, but they can overheat quickly when in continuous use, so pause as required when making frosting.
- You can also make the frosting by hand using a large mixing bowl and a whisk, but that is a last resort! It can be hard work!
- The frosting should be creamy, smooth, and hold a stiff peak. You may have to slightly adjust the powdered sugar and cream amount to achieve your desired consistency.
- The frosting is then divided and colored using food coloring. Remember that you can always add more color but can’t remove it. Add a little to start with and add more to get the shade required.
- FOOD COLORING! Food coloring is available in various forms. You’re most likely to find liquid coloring in your grocery store and other types of coloring like gels, pastes, and powders in more specialised cake decorating shops. The cheapest option is liquids, but they can alter the consistency of your frosting and cake batter, so I prefer pastes or gels, which don’t. A little goes a long way with food coloring gels, and you can usually get a much deeper shade than you would with liquids.
- These cupcakes are double-frosted. The first layer is flattened and rounded off to create the sprinkle base. The second layer is a swirl of two-tone frosting. Put an ice cream scoop to good use again for the first frosting layer, and use a knife or angled spatula to level it off.
- SPRINKLES! Following the color or theme provided in the recipe. You can use any type you like, such as nonpareils, jimmies, stars, confetti, pearls, or shapes – you’ll need 2-3 cups to cover the cupcakes.
- Use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip for the two-color frosting swirl.
- There are two ways you can do multi-color frosting:
- Scoop half the side of the piping bag with orange frosting and the other half with yellow, then squeeze some frosting out until the two colors combine.
- Or, use the double piping bag by putting a piping bag of each color into another piping bag fitted with the tip and frosting as usual. Wilton has a great demonstration video on YouTube that I highly recommend.
- If you feel like you are going to be making a lot of cookies, cakes, and cupcakes in the future, I think it is worth investing in a set of piping tips so that you know you always have the right ones on hand for a recipe.
- Do not overfill the piping bag with frosting, and make sure you squeeze the frosting down the bag to expel any air bubbles.
- If you are not confident with your piping skills, practice on some parchment paper first and scoop the frosting back into the bag to use on the cupcakes. Make sure you practice with ONE color and not the two mixed together!
More Cocktail Cupcake Recipes
Are you looking for more boozy cupcakes to make? Check these recipes out next:

How Do I Make Bahama Mama Cupcakes?
The printable recipe card is below—please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!

Bahama Mama Cocktail Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 15.25 oz/432g box orange cake mix
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup maraschino cherries chopped
- ½ cup Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Rum
For the Coconut Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar icing sugar
- 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream double cream
- 4 Tbsp Malibu Coconut Rum
- ½ cup orange sprinkles
- ½ cup white sprinkles
- ½ cup yellow sprinkles
For the Pineapple-Orange Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar icing sugar
- 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream double cream
- 2 Tbsp Malibu Pineapple Rum
- 2 Tbsp Orange Rum
- Lemon yellow gel food coloring
- Orange gel food coloring
- 14 pipettes filled with Captain Morgan Dark Spiced Rum
- 14 Maraschino Cherries
- ½ cup toasted coconut
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4. Line cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners and set them aside.
- Using an electric standing or hand mixer, beat the cake mix, milk, eggs, oil, and chopped cherries until combined and smooth.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter between the cupcake liners. Fill about ⅔ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Pour the ½ cup of Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Rum into a small bowl.
- Carefully dip the top of each cooked and cooled cupcake into the vodka, shaking off any droplets. Set them aside.
- To make the coconut frosting, use an electric stand or handheld mixer and beat the butter, powdered sugar, cream, and coconut rum together until creamy smooth, and stiff peaks form.
- Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop a mound of frosting on top of each cupcake. Use a small angled spatula to create a flat top.
- Pour the sprinkles into a bowl and stir to combine.
- Dip each frosted cupcake into the sprinkles to cover. Set them aside.
- To make the pineapple-orange frosting, use an electric stand or handheld mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and cream together until creamy smooth, and stiff peaks form.
- Transfer half of the frosting to another bowl and set it aside.
- Add the Malibu Pineapple Rum to the frosting in the mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Transfer it to another bowl and add a little yellow food coloring gel – remember you can always add more coloring but cannot take it away! Stir in the food coloring until well combined and you reach the desired shade.
- Place the earlier reserved frosting into the mixing bowl, add the Orange Rum, and whisk to combine.
- Add a little orange food coloring gel – remember you can always add more coloring but cannot take it away! Stir in the food coloring until well combined and you reach the desired shade.
- Place a large star tip into a large piping bag. Add the yellow frosting down one side of the piping bag and the orange frosting down the other side. Gently squeeze to begin piping out the frosting so it mixes together.
- Pipe a swirl of yellow-orange frosting on the top of each cupcake.
- Top with a maraschino cherry and a little shredded coconut.
- Fill 14 mini pipettes with spiced rum according to the package directions.
- Insert each pipette into the cupcakes next to the cherry. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Equipment Needed
- Cupcake Pan
- Cupcake Liners
- Medium Ice Cream Scoop
- Small Angled Spatula
- Mini Pipettes
- 1 Large Piping Bag – use disposable or reusable
- 1 Large Star Tip – for example, Wilton 1M
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Appetizer: Cornflake + Coconut Shrimp
- Soup: Creamy Ginger Carrot Soup
- Salad: Sautéed Shrimp and Avocado Salad
- Main Dish: Easy Jerk Pork, Rice & Peas, and Pineapple Salsa
- Side Dish: Fried Plantain Chips
- Cocktail: Captain Jack Sparrow Rum Cocktail with Rum & Blue Curaçao