Head in the Clouds

Everyone loves cupcakes and this statement is no exception in my family. My dad loves coconut so I thought, why not combine the two to make an especially yummy Father's Day surprise. These coconut snowball cupcakes are sure to be a sweet treat that anyone will love. They were inspired by Georgetown Cupcake's coconut cupcake. Georgetown has a store front in Boston right on Newbury Street and their cupcakes are hard to resist! You'll have your head in the clouds with these fluffy treats.

Instead of making just standard-size cupcakes, I made mini cupcakes. This recipe, from The Cupcake Diaries: Recipes & Memories from the Sisters of Georgetown Cupcake by Katherine Kallinis and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, yielded 48 mini cupcakes and then some so I used the remaining batter to make some standard-size cupcakes. My trick for perfect cupcakes is to use a cookie scoop to measure out the mini cupcakes, and to use an ice cream scoop for the standard-size cupcakes. The mini cupcakes are perfect for sharing and small enough for a snack without the guilt of a full slice of cake.

 

The frosting from this recipe is pretty good but tasted a little more powdery than I'd like. I have another recipe that is my go-to for cream cheese buttercream frosting so next time I'll use that recipe instead. Stay tuned! I'll post that recipe soon with another delicious cupcake recipe. Follow to get the latest news and posts from Boutiques and Sweets!

Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with twelve paper baking cups, or grease the pan with butter if not using baking cups.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt on a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for three to five minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
4. Add the vanilla to the milk in a separate bowl.
5. Add one third of the dry ingredients followed by one third of the milk mixture, and mix thoroughly. Repeat until all the ingredients are incorporated. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Mix thoroughly. Using a spatula, gently fold in the shredded coconut.
6. Scoop the batter into the cupcake pan using a standard-size ice-cream scoop until each cup is two-thirds full and bake for 16-18 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Combine the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar in a mixer and whip together at high speed until light and airy, approximately three to five minutes.
2. Using a small spatula or piping bag, add a swirl of the vanilla cream cheese frosting on top of the cupcake and spread to the edges of the cupcake so that it is completely covered with frosting. Then sprinkle the shredded coconut on top of the frosting so that it forms a "cloud" of coconut on top of the cupcake, or dip the cupcake into a bowl of shredded coconut and roll the top of the cupcake in the shredded coconut in a circular motion as pictured above.

If someone's birthday is coming up or you're just dying to try a new recipe, make these cupcakes and let me know how they turn out! Got any sweet treats you'd like to see on Boutiques and Sweets? Comment below!

Stay sweet!