i'd rather be baking

I’ve had a hankering for coconut cupcakes for the past week or so. Sometimes a girl just needs some coconut.

After flipping through my favorite cookbooks and finding nothing to satisfy this craving, I naturally consulted the trusty interwebs. I was disappointed to find that every coconut cupcake recipe seemingly worth its salt contained either three sticks of butter or a large helping of coconut milk. I’m sure both yield delicious cupcakes, but I’m not sure which is worse, nutrition-wise.

Coconut itself is not exactly  a health food, so I didn’t really want to make matters worse by venturing down either of these roads. I took matters into my own hands and brain (always a scary place), and was very pleasantly surprised by the result.

People, I’m not exaggerating when I say that these just might be my favorite cupcakes ever. They are so moist and sweet, yet not overly so, with just the right amount of flaked coconut adding in its soft, chewy texture. A warning: eating these may leave you slightly swoony and dreaming of tropical beaches. Sorry about that.

Um, are we a little obsessed with cream cheese at the moment? Yes, and I promise to move on. These would definitely be delicious with buttercream as well, but I had some cream cheese frosting on hand and decided to run with it.

Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 24 cupcakes

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, very soft
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature*
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1 cup milk (skim is fine)
1 teaspoon coconut extract
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line two cupcake pans with papers and spray the tops of the pans. In a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add in sugar, beating 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a glass measuring cup, stir coconut extract into milk. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to butter in four portions, beating well after each addition.

Stir coconut into batter. Spoon into cupcake tins, filling about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops spring back lightly when touched and a tester comes out clean.

High-Altitude Notes: Reduce baking powder to 1 1/4 teaspoons, and bake at 375°F.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes

Makes 2 1/2 cups

8 ounces regular cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, or as needed

In a food processor or the large bowl of an electric mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese and butter until very smooth and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, beating until smooth. The longer you beat, the softer the frosting will be; chill to harden if necessary in warm weather.

The frosting can be made a day in advance and refrigerated, covered; bring to room temperature and beat until smooth before using.