Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting Recipe

This coconut flavorful light texture cupcake changed my coconut sweets prejudice! I thought coconut sweets such as coconut chocolate, coconut cookies and coconut cake were too sweet but no coconut flavor, or too much stuffed sweetened desiccated coconut and felt like just eating sweetened coconut which was not pleasant. That kind of negative thought made me stay away from coconut sweets cooking. But one day I promised to my husband to make some coconut sweets. As coconut sweets lover, he insisted that we should have more coconut sweets at home. I knew it was unfair of me cooking everything what I wanted to eat and not to make what he liked. So I agreed with his request and started trying to find and develop coconut sweets recipes.

(6 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS:

--- cupcake ---
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/3 cup canned coconut milk
1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup flour
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sweetened desiccated coconut

--- frosting ---
1/3 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons sweetened desiccated coconut

METHOD:

--- cupcake ---
Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and cream till light and fluffy again. Add egg, beating for 30 seconds each to ensure mixing.

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in one bowl.

In another add well shaken coconut milk and a teaspoon of vanilla. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix, then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Continue alternating with the wet and dry mixtures, ending with the dry. Stop mixing once just as the ingredients become incorporated; do not over beat.

Fold in the coconut. Scoop into cupcake papers about one half to three-quarters of the way full.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a minute or two in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

--- frosting ---
Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scraped down the sides and bottom.

Slowly add the powdered sugar, taste as you go adding more sugar until you have reached the desired sweetness.

Fold in the coconut. Spread onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle on a bit of extra shredded coconut on top and serve.


Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes