My Birthday Coconut Cupcakes

Happy Birthday to me!

It's my birthday! And this year I want coconut cupcakes! Every year my aunt makes me a strawberry shortcake for my birthday. While I like strawberry shortcake, it's not my favorite. Last year, my husband asked me what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday and I told him coconut. And he responded, choose again, no one likes coconut. So this year, I decided to make my own cake and I made coconut because it's my favorite. These were delicious and exactly what I wanted. The coconut flavor wasn't overpowering and the cake tasted like coconut sugar cookies. The icing perfectly complimented the cupcakes and wasn't overly sweet.

Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-White Chocolate Frosting
Source: Woman's Day, March 2010

Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 and 1/2 sticks butter
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (or vanilla)
3/4 cup light coconut milk (do not use cream of coconut)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in sweetened flaked coconut and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in coconut extract.

On low, alternately beat in flour mixture and coconut milk, ending with flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners and bake 20 to 23 minutes. Cool in the pans for a few minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Coconut-White Chocolate Frosting
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1 brick cream cheese (I only used half.)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt white chocolate chips and set aside.
Beat together butter, cream cheese, and coconut extract.
Add melted chocolate and beat until blended.
Add powdered sugar and beat well.
Top cupcakes and dip tops in sweetened flaked coconut.