Easy Coconut Cupcakes with Buttercream

  

My friend Rosie asked for Coconut Cupcakes for her birthday and I was happy to oblige. This is an easy recipe, and delivers a moist, tender cupcake. Processing the coconut with the flour adds great coconut flavor to the cupcakes.  

Download Easy Coconut Cupcakes recipe

Easy Coconut Cupcakes

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 ½ ounces)

1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

½ cup sour cream

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon coconut extract

 1.    Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

 2.    Place flour and coconut in food processor and process for 30 seconds and transfer to bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

 3.     Whisk together the coconut-flour mixture, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and extracts; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

 4.    Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin using 2-ounce ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Use skewer or paring knife to lift cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

 Easy Buttercream for Coconut Cupcakes

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar

Pinch table salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon coconut extract

1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream

Sweetened Flaked Coconut for topping

1.    In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds.

2.    Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add extracts and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

3.    Press flaked coconut into each cupcake