recipe review: coconut heaven

Coconut Cupcakes

Review: Light, fluffy, and perfect for a party or special occasion. The icing is a bit tangy and the perfect complement to the sweet cake. Process is MUCH easier if using a stand mixer.

I'm a bit ambivalent when it comes to coconut. When I was young, I remember my parents would give me pieces of fresh coconut to munch on before grating it for various Indian dishes. I also love me a coconut-based cocktail...Grillfish in Washington, DC had fabulous coconut martinis that came from soaking fresh coconut in the liquid ingredients. However, I usually turn down coconut candies and sweets in favor of chocolate, fruit, or just about anything else.

I saw Ina of Barefoot Contessa make this one random afternoon, and was hooked by just the sight of the fluffy finished product. The cupcakes totally lived up to my expectations. Yes, they are decadent and probably not the healthiest choice, but they are pretty much guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser (I made them for my sister-in-law's birthday, and even my brother-in-law, who is not a fan of sweets, loved them). As long as you have a stand mixer, this recipe is easy peasy! My recipe originated from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, which is a great addition to any cookbook collection!

Cupcake Ingredients:

*3/4 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature [3 standard butter sticks]

*2 cups sugar

*5 extra-large eggs at room temperature

*1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

*1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

*3 cups all-purpose flour

*1 tsp. baking powder

*1/2 tsp. baking soda

*1/2 tsp. salt

*1 cup buttermilk

*14 oz. sweetened, shredded coconut [found in the baking aisle]

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

2) With the mixer running on low [speed 2 on the Kitchenaid mixer], add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well [I ran it on speed 2 for 5-8 minutes].

3) In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry [no clue why this is required, but who am I to question Ina?] Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 oz. of coconut (about half the bag) into the batter.

[I found the easiest way to do this part without getting flour all over the kitchen is to stop the mixer and raise the paddle each time before adding the dry ingredients. I used the shield on top of the bowl to prevent a flour cloud in my face once I locked and re-started the mixer. It's fine to pour the buttermilk into the batter as it's mixing.]

4) Line a muffin pan [I used the standard Crate and Barrel nonstick muffin tins] with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to cool completely.

[The next time I do this, I might just fill each cup only 3/4 full. As you can see in the pic, the top really overflows, making them a bit of a pain to remove. Also, these made 24 cupcakes and a handful of mini-cupcakes, even though the recipe claims it makes 18-20 cupcakes. I had to cook them in 2 batches.]

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

*1 lb. cream cheese at room temperature [2 standard boxes]

*3/4 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature

*1 tsp. vanilla extract

*1/2 tsp. almond extract

*1 1/2 lb. confectioner's sugar, sifted

Directions:

1) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts.

2) Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

[I only used 1 lb. of powdered sugar, as the cupcakes were already pretty sweet for my taste. Also, this makes a ridiculous amount of icing...we still have a small tub left over and I was pretty generous when icing each cupcake. I'd recommend either reducing the recipe or planning ahead on the icing's future use...ours will most likely be used on sugar cookies.]

3) Frost the cupcakes with the icing and sprinkle with the remaining 7 oz. of coconut. Enjoy!