Coconut Cupcakes

Just when you thought I might be one of those really health conscious people...

The picture below should pretty much say it all:

That's right, six sticks of butter.  And lets not forget the pound of cream cheese.  Or 5 eggs, er...6.  I realized after I took the pic that it should only have been 5.  Please forgive me.

I have been on a cupcake quest these days, it seems.  A quest to find the very best cupcake.  Problem is, both of the recipes I've tried thus far(including this one) have been nothing short of amazing.  And I am trying another(chocolate!) later this week.  I think I may be the only woman that has baked 3 batches of cupcakes in the first 2 weeks of a brand new year.  Turns out, I may not be trying to lose the last couple pounds of baby weight after all...

To make these cupcakes you will need all of the ingredients shown above(minus one egg) and it is also quite helpful to have a cute, monkey pj wearing, banana eating, 3 year old in the kitchen with you!

She really likes to help!

This is merely the butter and sugar.  You MUST let this cream together for the 5 minutes that this recipe states.  I believe it makes a world of difference in the texture of your finished cupcake.

Another must do.  Please sift the dry ingredients together.  Do not skip this step in an effort to save time.  We are making cupcakes from scratch, not trying to save time.

Before you scoop the batter into the muffin tins it should look something like this.  Not the most appetizing sight ever, but...

...Maddie sure thought it tasted good!  That's right, I let my daughter lick the beater that contained batter with raw eggs.  And guess what??  She was just fine.

So, of course after this you bake them, let them cool a bit, and then frost them.  Normally I'd take them out of the muffin pan to frost, but I was taking these somewhere the next morning so I just frosted them while still in the pan.  This is my most favorite way to frost a cupcake.  It looks like soft serve to me.  Looks so light and airy that you just can't wait to eat it.  This effect is so totally simple to achieve.  All you need is a gallon size ziploc bag with one of the corners cut off of it.  You do also need to make sure that the frosting is the right consistency.  It should be already if you let the cream cheese and butter sit out for at least 4 hours before making the frosting.  I even leave mine out overnight sometimes.

How perfect is this one?!?  With the little curly-q at the top and everything!  Perfection!!

I just love cupcakes!

But let's not forget that these are, in fact, coconut cupcakes.

The coconut cupcake, in all her glory.  Let's see that close-up one more time...

One word:  YUM!

Coconut Cupcakes

very slightly adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

3/4 pound(3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 pound(3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pure almond extract

1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a 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, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

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.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Fill each liner 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.  Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

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. 

Frost the cupcakes and then sprinkle with the additional 7 ounces of coconut.

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.