Coconut Cupcakes

I've recently been given the responsibility of being the coordinator for my ward's Relief Society extra meetings. For January we talked about happiness, how to make and keep goals, and household budgets. We made a "happiness jar" where the sisters can write down one happy thing that happened each day and at the end of the month or year (depending on the size of their jar) they can review their happy moments. For a treat afterwards, I made coconut cupcakes that looked like snowmen, and some chocolate cupcakes with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. I've had so many comments on the coconut cupcakes (one sister said it was the best cupcake she had ever eaten, and another sister confessed she ate three cupcakes- one chocolate, and two coconut. She told the others that the coconut cupcake had a filling that was to die for.) I knew I needed to post the coconut cupcake so I would remember which recipe I used for easy retrieval in the future. You can find the original recipe here, but I have adapted their recipe a little and changed the frosting completely, because their frosting was way too sweet.

I forgot to take pictures at the meeting. My niece, Kyanna, happened to snap a couple, but you can see it was after a coconut cupcake had been taken. 

Coconut Cupcakes (recipe adapted)

Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

4 egg whites

1/2 cup oil (I used coconut oil)

1 cup canned coconut milk

2 tsp coconut extract (I used 1 tsp coconut emulsion)

Filling

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp coconut extract (I used 2 drops of coconut oil)

1 T sweetened shredded coconut

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 T heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1/4 tsp almond extract
2 T coconut milk (if necessary)

Topping

Sweetened shredded coconut
Regular and mini chocolate chips (optional)
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Orange noses (optional. Mine were from Orson Gygi, or you can try orange Starbursts shaped to look like a nose, or jelly beans)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg whites, oil, coconut milk and extract. Add cake mix and beat until mixed well. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 16 minutes, or until top of cake springs back lightly when touched. Cool cupcakes.
For the filling, place the powdered sugar, cream and extract in a mixing bowl and beat it for about two minutes. Stir in coconut. Core out the center of the cupcakes, reserving the cake you just removed. Use a spoon or piping bag to add the filling to the center of the cake, then plug the hole back up with the cake that was removed earlier. You may have to remove a portion of the cake, and just put the very top part of the cake back into the hole. 

For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese for several minutes, then slowly add the powdered sugar. Add the cream and beat for about 2 minutes longer. Add the extracts and check for consistency of the frosting. If it is too thick, add a little of the coconut milk to thin it. Frost the cupcakes and then turn them upside-down into a bowl of shredded coconut to cover the frosting. 

I decorated my cupcakes with a snowman face. Thanks, Michele, for the mini chocolate chips! Can you believe I was "out" of something? I had inadvertently used up the last of my mini chocolate chips earlier that same day. 

Depending on how you place the eyebrows, your snowman will look happy or cross, 

confused or goofy.