Coconut Cupcakes

Oh what a lovely day it is.

For these unbelievable coconut cupcakes. Ya know…when I think of Easter I think of three things…lemon, coconut and pastels.

Oh and mimosas. What do you think of?

I’ve actually been craving coconut. It’s Spring. I am kind of over the warm and comforting stuff. I say that while currently slow cooking a chuck roast as we speak. I needed something easy for tonight, okay?

I guess what I’m saying is…I am turning gears…at least in the dessert arena. It’s SPRING TIME and these coconut cupcakes scream Spring!!

They’re light and sweet and taste like so much coconut. You can’t mistake these for any other flavor…I made sure of it. They’re light yet have weight to them…butter. It must be the butter.

Don’t worry…butter is acceptable in cupcakes. In fact…it’s necessary.

Let’s chat about my favorite whipped buttercream frosting ever. It’s the same frosting recipe I use for this white almond cake – another fantastic Easter dessert by the way. This stuff is so incredible. I hardly ever use any other frosting because this one gets the best reviews. It’s SO light and creamy and it’s not too sweet. That’s what everyone loves about it…the medium sweetness level. It’s made with granulated sugar versus confectioners sugar. Don’t get me wrong, give me traditional buttercream all day. I LOVE it, but it is sweet, and it can be overwhelming for some. If you aren’t a sweet person, this frosting is for YOU.

I promise it’s not hard to make. It requires a few simple steps that are so worth it. I’ve made it 430989382 times and I’ve never messed it up, so I’m feeling pretty confident that you won’t either.

Glad we talked about this.

So glad I decided to make these, too. Happy Easter! xoxo

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Coconut Cupcakes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

28 mins

Total time

38 mins

 

Stuckonsweet.com: Jessica from www.stuckonsweet.com

Recipe type: Dessert/Cupcake

Serves: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs + 1 egg white, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon coconut extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature (can also use whole milk or full fat coconut milk)
• ½ cup sweetened coconut

Buttercream Frosting

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk (I would not use low-fat for this recipe)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• Sweetened shredded coconut for decoration

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl; set aside.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (you can use a stand-alone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer). Add eggs, vanilla extract and coconut extract and mix until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary - mixture may look lumpy.
4. With mixer on slow-speed, alternate adding the bowl of dry ingredients and the milk starting and ending with dry ingredients. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in sweetened coconut.
5. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake for 20-28 minutes. (mine baked for 22 minutes) until tops are slightly browned or a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool.
6. To make the whipped buttercream, add flour and milk to a sauce pan and place over medium heat whisking constantly until it thickens. This will happen all of a sudden so watch it carefully. Take off the heat and whisk in vanilla and coconut extract then let cool completely - you can put it in your refrigerator if you need to hurry up the cooling process, just don't let it get too cold.
7. While the flour mixture is cooling, add butter and granulated sugar to a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (You can use a hand-held mixer, it will just be a little more work). Turn the mixer on high and whip the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. The mixture should be white and fluffy and the sugar should be almost dissolved.
8. Lastly, add the cooled flour mixture to your mixer bowl and whip on high for 1 minute. The frosting will be very fluffy and look liked whipped cream.
9. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

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Cupcakes adapted from Ina Garten