Don Herman It’s finally springtime here at the edge of the Colorado Rockies. And with that comes time to shift gears to something with a lighter taste. Coconut fills the bill here – especially the naturally unsweetened flakes that I find at my local Sprouts store. These Coconut Cream Cupcakes are all-natural and substitute coconut milk for some of the fat you would normally add with butter.
I have another recipe for Old Fashioned Coconut Cake that I’ve posted here. It’s great and I’ve made it several times, but sometimes I prefer to make cupcakes so that I can share them a little easier with friends and neighbors.
Living at high-altitude, I often have to adjust recipes to make them work above 5,000 feet. I don’t find that to be a problem so much with cupcakes. Because the heat penetrates to the center of the batter much faster, the cake can build the structure it needs to rise and stay risen without adding flour and heat to the recipe. So I’m using the regular altitude recipe here.
Coconut Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups Flour 1/2 all-purpose, 1/2 cake flour
- 2 1/4 cups Sugar
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 5 lg Egg Whites
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1 tbsp Natural Coconut Flavor
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter softened but not melted
- 1 cup Coconut Milk Canned, with at least 20% fat – it’s replacing a portion of the butter.
Coconut Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese softened
- 1/4 cup Butter softened
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Natural Coconut Flavor
- 1 tbsp Coconut Milk as needed for consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with paper cupcake liners (recipe makes 3 dozen). Whisk the egg whites, milk and coconut flavoring until just frothy. Set aside.
- In a mixer bowl, add the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix with a whisk. Add the butter and coconut milk and mix on low with a paddle attachment just until moistened, then beat on medium for two minutes.
- Add the egg white mixture in a few additions, mixing just until incorporated.
- Using an ice-cream scoop, fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. The cakes won’t rise as much as a box mix, so don’t be afraid to be generous.
- Bake the cupcakes for 19-23 minutes. They are a white-cake cupcake, so don’t let the color fool you, test with a toothpick or your finger for springiness, Don’t overbake.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a rack.
- While the cakes are cooling, use the warm oven to toast your coconut. Simply sprinkle the coconut on a cookie sheet in a thin layer and set it in the oven at 350 F for about two minutes. Stir the flakes and watch them for another two minutes or so. When they’ve toasted to golden, remove and cool.
Coconut Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the coconut flavor and blend
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix well. Once blended, check the consistency for spreading and add a bit of coconut milk if necessary.
Notes
If you’re going to treat yourself or your friends, don’t skimp on the flavor. Use this natural coconut flavoring from Savory Spice:
Our natural coconut extract has the taste and aroma of super fresh coconuts. Try using it in cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, chocolate desserts, ice cream, pies, pudding, sauces, syrups and more. Great in savory dishes, like curries, marinades and coconut rice. You can also use it to fortify drinks such as Pina Coladas or daiquiris.[More]
