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~Creamy Coconut Cupcakes~

Coconut. You either love it or you can’t stand it. I love it. It is simple as that. 
I use coconut in different forms,  desiccated coconut, which mainly comes unsweetened and finely grated, it is especially great when you are making Lamingtons another jewel in my Dessert Book, then I also like Sweetened shredded Coconut, which I usually use oven or pan roasted/toasted. Roasted coconut has a caramel flavor and it adds a new interesting texture to any dessert. Another forms of coconut I use are coconut milk and coconut extract/flavoring from Spices etc.
I’ve been meaning to try a new coconut cupcake recipe for several years, my last attempt wasn’t successful and I’m happy to say that I can’t say the same about my new find, creamy velvety coconut cupcakes.
Creamy Coconut Cupcakes(12 -16cupcakes)
5 Tbls room temperature butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk( I used A Taste of Thai Lite Coconut Milk)
3 large egg whites
Preheat oven to 350F, line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, set aside
  • Wipe the bowl of your mixer with  white vinegar and wipe it dry, add egg whites, pinch of salt and beat egg whites until medium soft peaks are formed, add  1/4 cup sugar an beat until firm but not dry peaks are formed, scrape the meringue into a small bowl and set aside
  • In  the same bowl you made the meringue  cream butter with sugar until creamy, 5 minutes
  • While your butter is creaming sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside
  • In a small dish combine together milk and coconut milk
  • Add egg yolks to the butter and beat well, add coconut and vanilla extract, scrape the bowl and continue beating until smooth and well combined
  • On slow speed  alternatively add coconut milk mixture and flour,  on low speed beat until smooth
  • To the batter add about 1/3 of meringue, fold into the batter until smooth, fold in the remaining meringue
  • Fill the prepared muffin pan, about 2/3 full
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes
  • Remove from the muffin pan immediately and cool the cupcakes on the cooling rack

Creamy Coconut Frosting

Coconut Swiss Buttercream

4sticks / one pound of butter at room temp.(1stick of butter is 113grams)
4 egg whites(1egg white is approximately 30grams)
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt 

  • Place the egg whites and the sugar in a clean bowl of your mixer and place it over a pot of simmering water, whisking constantly, until egg whites get too hot to touch, you want the sugar to dissolve and bring the egg whites to a safe temperature for use
  • Once the egg whites are too hot to touch, continue whisking for 3 more minutes
  • Remove from heat and immediately put your bowl on a stand mixer and beat it on high
  • In the meanwhile cut up  room temperature butter into cubes.
  • When meringue is ready, you are looking for stiff peaks, when you touch the sides of the bowl they should be  warm to lukewarm,  turn the mixer on low, and slowly add chunks of room temperature butter.
  • Don’t worry if the mixture curdles a little, turn the mixer on medium high and beat until you have a silky buttercream .
  • Add 2 tsp pure vanilla extract and  beat the buttercream  for a few more minutes, until well combined
  • This buttercream can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days,or refrigerated for a week, or frozen for up to 3 months. Bring it to room temperature and re-whip it prior using.
    Tips
    To further stabilize this buttercream I recommend adding 1tbl of meringue powder, especially in the hot weather. 
    Remember butter starts to melt at  82.4F -96.8F (26-36C), so if you are planning to make this buttercream in the heat of the Summer, consider  cake, or cupcake display inside, in the air conditioned area.
    Flavors: you can  flavor your buttercream with other extracts as well
    Oven Roasted Sweetened Coconut
    2cups sweetened shredded coconut
    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
    For additional garnish and more coconut flavor use toasted sweetened coconut as a garnish
    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and  spread shredded sweetened coconut on the sheet
    Preheat oven to 300F
    Toast the coconut, watching it closely every few minutes and stir with the wooden spoon, until it turns lightly golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool before using
    Store in the airtight container until ready to use. Sprinkle on cupcakes.

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One Comment

  1. I really am a huge fan of coconut!!! I love the addition of coconut milk! I hope to try these very soon!!!

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