Fluffy coconut cupcakes

I’ve been waiting to make these for some weeks and have finally got around to it! They had me at the title – fluffy coconut cupcakes – what’s not to love?

We all have flavours that grab our attention if they appear in the description of a cake or dessert and coconut is certainly one of mine. Others would be vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, apple, pear, custard...ok, so there are quite a few!


The cupcake recipe is different to others I’ve made as it has less egg but uses buttermilk. This gave a light, crumbly texture and it suited the coconut very well. Because of the low butter and egg content the cupcakes are pale, so I recommend using the skewer test for ‘done-ness’.

I love the colour of these; they are so clean and wholesome looking. Yes, I know...I need to get out more. But at least some of you must see what I mean? Anyone?


The buttercream, the observant among you will have noticed, is not smooth. This is because it contains desiccated coconut. It struck me as a halfway house between buttercream and coconut ice, the unashamedly sugary sweet.


Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:

125g self raising flour
25g desiccated coconut
115g caster sugar
125ml buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon coconut extract
65g unsalted butter, melted

For the coconut icing:

280g icing sugar
70g desiccated coconut
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1-3 tablespoons hot water


How to make:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- Combine the flour, coconut and sugar in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Into the well pour the buttermilk, egg, coconut extract and melted butter and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into the paper cases.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Mine took 18 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing the cupcakes and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.
- You can make the cupcakes a day in advance if you store them in an airtight tin. Make the icing on the day though.
- Now make the icing: place all the ingredients, except the hot water, in a bowl and mix together.
- Add just enough hot water to make a spreadable consistency.
- Spread the icing over each cupcake and decorate according to taste – I used wafer roses.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.