Coconut Cupcakes

The Beats! 

  

My mom visited last week and as we sat at the table, neck and neck for the 2nd night of a 3 game Scrabble series (this is boosting my street cred I'm sure), listening to the playlist from my last post, she broke her concentration to say "I don't think I like this music."  I said, "Oh, the hiphop?"  And she replied, "Well, I guess.  I didn't know I didn't like it, but I guess I don't."  And with a little reflection and a lot of tissues, I've decided I'm ok with that.  I would be more worried if Little Momma loved hip hop.  If in the middle of the game she had laid down the lyrics to Farewell Wenches I probably would have passed out.  I don't really understand why I like hiphop either actually.  I moved to Wyoming in 3rd grade and soon-after my best friend and I make an unspoken decision to be undercover thug for the rest of our lives.  Anyway, this post isnt' supposed to be about hiphop because to appease my mother and make the rest of the Scrabble game enjoyable (see how thug is that?), I created the following playlist ...  which I should add, has some of my most favorite songs despite their non-hiphop genre.  I like all music ... it just happens that yes, I have a crush on Ludacris, yes I've watched the documentary on Tupac's Resurrection, and yes I've been splashed with Lil' Jon's crunk juice.  Oh, wait, this post isn't about hiphop ...

The Treats!  

  

As you can probably guess by this post, I'm slowly beginning to understand the cupcake fad.  That doesn't mean I understand paying almost four dollars for one, but I think I grasp the appeal of making something easy, relatively small, and "cute".  You don't have to fight, knife in hand, over cutting the cake unevenly.  You don't have to fret that the guest of honor's birthday wish will leave every other persons serving covered in germs.  And sometimes you can get away without washing a plate and fork for every person at the party.  We're not talking about being lazy, we're talking about being smart, ok?  So for the second time this week I'm making cupcakes.  I'm always kind of mesmerized by desserts decorated with coconut flakes because it reminds me of snow ... and I love snow, and the flavor reminds the of the sunscreen I used as a kid on the beach - really, it's the best of both worlds. So here's a recipe for coconut cupcakes.  The cupcake itself is a dense,  moist cake that tastes more of vanilla than coconut (at least to me), but I've made some changes to pimp out the coconut flavor in the icing.   

Coconut Cupcakes   (makes 18)              

From Bon Appetit Magazine

What you'll need ...

Reduced coconut milk:
2 13- to 14- ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk

Cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup reduced coconut milk (see above), room temp

Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup reduced coconut milk (see above), room temp

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted for garnish

Cupcake tin and liners!

To make the reduced coconut milk, bring coconut milk to boil in large deep saucepan over medium-high heat (coconut milk will boil up high in pan). Reduce the heat to medium-low; boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (I know this is annoying since it leaves you pouring in & out of a measuring cup, so I just "got close"), stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to small bowl, cover and chill in refrigerator (coconut milk will settle further as it cools).  I also read a review for which the reader skipped this step entirely and just used the recipe amounts (1 1/3 cups) straight from the can ... up to you. Reducing the milk just creates a more dense, moist cake.

For the cupcakes, position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line eighteen muffin cups with liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat on medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla and remaining egg. 

Add half of flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended. Add 1 cup reduced coconut milk; mix just until blended. Add remaining flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake cupcakes until tops spring back when gently touched and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes in pans to rack; cool 10 minutes. Carefully remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely. 

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until blended, scraping down sides of bowl. Increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.  I added one cup of non-toasted sweetened coconut flakes and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract into the frosting to bring out the flavor as well ...  To toast the coconut, layer flakes onto a cookie sheet and heat in oven at 350 degrees.  Watch carefully and stir the contents occasionally to prevent burning.  


Top each cupcake with frosting. Using spatula or knife, swirl frosting over top of cupcakes. Sprinkle with coconut (I topped them with both toasted and un-toasted coconut flakes as well as a half raspberry for garnish).  Keep refrigerated until you're ready to devour ...