Wendy and I keep doing sugar fasts. And then we get a little crazy and eat as much sugar as we can get our grimy little hands on. Last Saturday was a rainy day. We were going to go running anyway but instead went to get our favorite drink from The Coffee Bean. As we walked in, Wendy said she wanted to make these coconut cupcakes she saw on Melissa's blog. Wendy LOVES coconut. More than anyone I know. And after she saw those cupcakes, that's all she talked about. And what better to do on a rainy day than make cupcakes? We went straight to the grocery store for the ingredients (Wendy already had the recipe in her purse).
I wish I could say that I made these delicious cupcakes but I didn't. I helped frost them but I don't think that counts, which is why this post is titled Coconut Cupcakes instead of 2011 New Recipe #4. But everyone should try these cupcakes so I am featuring Wendy and her new recipe!
Before I post the recipe, I want to give a little shout-out to Melissa and her blog, Designer Bakery. Melissa and I were in the same ward until she got married a few summers ago. Now we just run into each other frequently at Cafe Rio and Yogurtland. :) She is a teacher by day and an extraordinary cook/baker by night/summer. Check out her blog, I love it.
Now for the recipe. Note that instead of buttermilk, we used my mom's cheater buttermilk (put 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 1 cup measuring cup, fill the rest of the cup with milk, let stand for 10 minutes to sour). Also didn't use the extra large eggs (a dozen of large was $.99, a dozen of XL were $3!). I can't imagine these cupcakes tasting any better!
Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients:
3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups of sugar
5 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows)
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes
- With mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well
- In separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
- Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Fill each cup to the top with batter
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are brown and toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes.
- Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle (or dip) in remaining coconut.
(This is the half recipe, for more just double)
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
3/4 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
- In bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extracts.
- Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth
I <3 Mels :) AND...I'm not a coconut lover at all (ew, why do they even sell imitation coconut?!?), but LOVED these cupcakes (I did however, request that mine not have the frosting rolled in that white stuff). I might have had 2...or 3 now, can't remember, that's how delicious they were!
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