Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

photo credit: cafemama via photopin cc

Author: Carla Cardello (www.chocolatemoosey.com)

Serves: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup hot coffee
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 Tbsp butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Filling

• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1 tsp vanilla

Frosting

• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 tsp coconut extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325F. For the filling, place the coconut onto a baking sheet. Toast in 5 minute increments until brown. Set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup for garnish.
2. Meanwhile for the cupcakes, line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour in hot coffee and whisk until smooth. Whisk in milk. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the chocolate mixture. Divide the batter into the paper liners and bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.
5. For the filling, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, sugar and flour until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat. Stir in remaining 2 cups coconut, almonds, and vanilla. Allow it to cool until room temperature.
6. For the frosting, in a small saucepan, whisk together the milk and flour. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and allow it to cool until room temperature. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the milk mixture and coconut extract, beating on high speed until it is the texture of whipped cream.
7. To assemble, cut a hole out of each cupcake middle, being careful not to cut all the way through. Fill it with the coconut-almond mixture and top with some of the cake you just cut out. Frost to cover the hole and garnish with toasted coconut.

Nothing could be better than a chocolate coconut cupcake topped with marshmallow frosting, or maybe one topped with candies or ganache.

Guava Cupcakes

photo credit: Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Cake via photopin cc

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup guava nectar
2 cups guava pastry filling
1 recipe guava butter cream (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.

Alternately add the flour mixture with the guava nectar, beginning and ending with the flour. Fill was muffin cups with the batter, ¾ full (I use a 2 ounce scoop). Bake about 20 minutes (rotating pan after about 10 minutes) until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out (almost) clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Makes 24-30 cupcakes

To fill the cupcakes, hold the cupcake in one hand. Use a paring knife, a large round up or a cupcake plunger, cut a small hole in the center of cooled cupcakes. Use the guava filling to fill the cupcake. Top with butter cream.

Guava Buttercream

1 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. guava nectar
1/8 tsp. of salt
¼ cup guava pastry filling

In a medium bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat the mixture at low speed just until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth. Add guava nectar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spoon in guava filling and mix until combined. If the butter begins to break, keep beating. Top the cupcakes as desired.

I got this recipe from Mele Cotte, love her recipe so much.  All you need is to follow her step-by-step procedures and you will have a good and healthy GUAVA CUPCAKES for kids to love.