Simple Vanilla Cupcake with a Coconut Buttercream
It’s about time I made these! One of my best friends is making an appearance in Michigan tomorrow and since she lives in New York and I haven’t seen her since early summer I decided it’s time to give her a cupcake – since I’ve been teasing her with pictures of all the cupcakes I’ve made since I last saw her. I could have gone all out and made a special cake but I’ve been dying to make these and in their simplicity they turned out tasting really special.
This recipe is 100% mine. Normally, I scour the internet for a recipe and change it up a bit if I think it could be better, but this time I developed my own vanilla cake recipe (through multiple experiments documented here) and made up my own coconut frosting at my roommate’s request. I really enjoyed developing my own cake. It looks a bit funny with some obvious bubbles on the surface but those imperfections are worth the taste.
The cake is light and moist and has a delightfully complex flavor. Paired with a simple vanilla buttercream and rolled in coconut the palate can enjoy a lovely range of flavors. The bit of toasted coconut on top also really enhances this cupcake, bringing a different texture and taste to the combination. I give these cupcakes an A.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3/4 + 1/8 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt
- In a small bowl, scramble together the eggs until you can see the air bubbles
- In a large bowl mix together the oil and sugar until thoroughly combined then add eggs and the extract. Mix until well combined and you can see air bubbles
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk (beginning and ending with the dry). Stir until just combined
- Bake for 16 -19 minutes
- for the frosting cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla.
- Stir in milk until the desired consistency is reached
- Wait until your cupcakes cool completely, then frost them
- Place coconut flakes in a bowl and dip the frosted cupcakes into the flakes and roll.
- If you wish to add some toasted flakes, put about 2 tbsps of flakes on aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 5 minutes or until browned, watch them carefully, they go from golden to burned quickly. Top the cupcakes with the toasted coconut.