I am crazy for coconut, and I am also super crazy about these coconut cupcakes. They are by far the best cupcakes I have ever had, and if you love coconut, they will probably be the best you have ever had too. Usually I am a frosting-type of person when it comes to cupcakes, but I even love the cake on these cupcakes. The coconut in the cake makes them so perfectly sweet and moist, and the cake doesn’t dry out, even after several days. But the cake doesn’t necessarily win here, because the frosting is incredible – maybe we can call the cake and frosting on the cupcake a win-win!
My mother is an amazing baker, and she is the one who first introduced me to these coconut cupcakes. It was always such a special treat when she made them for the family. When I was making cupcakes for a large event, I asked my mom for the coconut cupcake recipe .She told me that the recipe came from the Barefoot Contessa. No wonder they were so good! I chose to make the recipe with some minor changes (such as cutting down on the amount of frosting, because otherwise the cupcakes have a frosting tower), and they always turn out so tasty.
Coconut is also one of Greg’s favorite things, so I try to remember to make these for his birthday to celebrate. If you love coconut and you love cupcakes, you will for sure loves these coconut cupcakes! Enjoy
Recipe for Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
INGREDIENTS
3 sticks of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 cups of granulated sugar
5 jumbo-sized eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. of almond extract
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp. of kosher salt
1 cup of buttermilk
1 14-ounce bag of sweetened shredded flaked coconut
Frosting
1 1/2 packages of 8-ounce cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/4 tsp. of vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. of almond extract
1 pound of powdered sugar, sifted (1 pound is usually 1 regular-sized bag of powdered sugar)
DIRECTIONS
Line cupcake or muffin pans with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed and add in the eggs, one at a time. Add in the vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix well.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt together in a medium mixing bowl and sift together. Incorporate the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in to the batter. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until everything is just combined. Mix in half of the bag of coconut in to the batter.
Fill each cupcake liner to the top with the batter. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, watching them closely so that tops do not burn. Remove from oven when they are done and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a baking rack to cool completely.
When cupcakes are fully cooled, make the frosting. Put the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a bowl and use a hand mixer on low speed to cream everything together. Add the powdered sugar in and continue to mix on low until the frosting is smooth.
Frost cupcakes and sprinkle the rest of the coconut on the tops. YUM!
*Makes about 18 – 20 delicious cupcakes*
Adapted from: Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, 1999
Make It and Bake It with Beth 