Last week, I mentioned a perk to starting a food blog was the recipes friends and family send my way. Another perk is setting out to find a recipe and along the way finding a new, enjoyable blog.
A while back, I linked to a recipe idea on Fearless Homemaker, and I have been reading the blog ever since. When a recipe for dark chocolate and coconut cupcakes with coconut buttercream was recently posted, they went on the To Bake Sooner Rather Than Later list.
I was blessed with taste buds that respond favorably to coconut. I simply do not understand how some people do not crave a coconut dessert when its sweet, warm, comforting aroma fills the kitchen. But similar to nuts, people either like coconut or really, really, really do not like coconut.
If you are in the “do not like” coconut camp, the recipe as it is written here is not for you. Though I can’t help but think the recipe would yield a stellar dark chocolate cake if the coconut extract was omitted.
When I eat a cupcake, I want both the cake and the frosting to carry a good flavor. It is such a let down to take a bite of cake and realize the taste is only in the frosting or vice versa. Cupcakes and frosting should act like engagement rings and wedding bands; both should be able to stand alone and work well with the other (disclaimer: this is not an announcement, just an analogy).
This cake and frosting combination did just that. Both were delicious! The cupcakes and frosting sort of tasted like a Mounds candy bar in cupcake form. I chose to garnish the cupcakes with a bit of toasted coconut and homemade Hershey Kiss acorns, which I will tell you all about tomorrow. Until then, enjoy!
- Cupcakes
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
- 2 ounces (2 squares) Baker’s semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Place the butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder in a small bowl.
- Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat the mixture until fully melted, stirring occasionally until smooth and combined.
- Set the chocolate aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
- While the butter and chocolate are melting, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together with the sugar, milk, coconut extract, and vanilla extract.
- Slowly add the warm chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, stirring constantly, until combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and mix until well incorporate.
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin tins lined with paper liners.
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool to room temperature before frosting.
- Cream the butter on medium speed.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the milk, coconut extract and vanilla.
- Continue to beat at high speed until the buttercream is smooth.
Love this idea! I also salivate at the mention of coconut and/or chocolate! The kisses look like little acorns. Cute!
I was inspired to make the acorns after I saw the mice made from kisses and cherries! Those are on the to-make list as well. I hope I can get to them by Halloween, but if not, they will be Christmas mice.
hooray, i’m so glad these turned out great for you. and how beautiful they are, wow. my mom doesn’t like coconut at all, so i totally understand how you don’t understand people who don’t like coconut – it’s hard for me to understand, too. and just FYI, they are a great chocolate cupcake still without the coconut extract, so coconut haters still can try the recipe with a few tweaks. thanks for sharing my recipe!
This was definitely one of the best cupcake recipes I’ve made so far!
Hope you have some of these in the refrig for us??
No, they are long gone, but I have something else!
Yum, yum yum! Wish I could try this one right now!
I wish you could too. How does moving to North Carolina sound? Then you could be my official taste tester.
Coconut!!!! My favorite…. those cupcakes look delicious
I see the potential for a coconut week? month?
Coconut month! That sounds fun, but I’ll have to do some serious coconut recipe research before that can happen. It’s good to know you are a coconut fan!