Barefoot Bloggers: Coconut Cupcakes

When I saw this months recipes I thought - Oh great, two more recipes my wife won't eat. Normally I don't make the ones that only I will eat but I changed that rule for these. I have never really been a big cake person but coconut cake is one that I have a hard time passing up. I think it goes back to childhood memories when my grandmother would make a cake every year for my grandfather's birthday. The cake was always half coconut and half banana and I remember liking both halves.

So I decided to make these. It makes way more cupcakes than I will eat but it is not like it is that hard to get rid of cupcakes. I passed out a bunch at a meeting tonight and I will send whatever else I don't want to eat to my wife's work tomorrow - they won't last long there.

These cupcakes weren't much like my grandmothers cake but they were delicious. There is coconut in the cake so there is lots of coconut flavor. I loved the cream cheese frosting too - just like on a good carrot cake. As you can see my son had to use every ounce of his self control to keep from sticking his finger in a cupcake - I did let him lick the beater though. At lunchtime he told me "full ravioli, hungry cupcake".

Thanks to Jamie at Jamie's Green Kitchen for this pick. Looking at her blog it looks like she really, really, really likes cupcakes - I can see why she picked this recipe.

Coconut Cupcakes

(Source: Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, page 175)

Yield: 18 to 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
4. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
6. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.