Fabulously Sweet

Vanilla Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting

The following recipe makes around 30 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Cupcake Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine both flours (I didn’t have cake flour on hand, so I used all-purpose flour for both), the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Then add the butter in small chunks and mix until just coated with flour. This process goes quicker with ‘room tempature’ butter.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Put the mixer speed up to medium, add the wet ingredients into the dry in THREE parts, scraping down the sides of the bowl in-betweenl.

Do not overbeat it, just until all ingredients are incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through (this helps the cakes cook evenly), until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean (a toothpick works perfect for this). Bake about 17 to 20 minutes.

Buttercream Ingredients: