Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache


It snowed four days ago, and the view out my window still looks like THIS!


Aaaahhhh....... snow is so beautiful when viewed from a warm, cozy room.  And this beautiful view was all the inspiration I needed to catch up on some blogging. (Notice I didn't say cleaning the basement, paying bills or getting those Christmas cards out!)

I baked these Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache for The Martha Stewart Cupcake Club in October but am just getting them out to you now! I'm going to blame it on the move. Or maybe the last few nice days of fall. Or maybe I'll blame it on the days I spent cleaning out the garage so that we could get two cars in it before the view out my window looked like this! I'm sure it's not my fault.

And while I'm at it, I'm going to post my end of the world poem.  You know, the end of the Mayan Calendar which is just 9 days away?  I'm going to post it on auto schedule so that in case I'm not here, you'll still be able to read it.  Oh, wait.  You won't be here either!  Never mind....



Think of these divine cupcakes like a Mounds Bar in cake form.
Each cupcake is packed with coconut three ways:  
Coconut Milk, Coconut Flakes and Coconut Extract.  Yum!


They bake up soft and moist.


A dip in a simple dark chocolate ganache provides a perfect bittersweet complement to the sweetness of the cake.


Sprinkle the top with coconut (toasted or not) and you have a delightful, elegant dessert!


Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Makes 36 cupcakes

1 cup firmly packed sweetened, shredded coconut
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cups canola oil
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon coconut extract
1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups coconut flakes (or shreds) toasted (or not)


  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  
  2. Mix flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream butter, oil, sugar.
  4. Add extract and then eggs, one at a time.  Add coconut milk.
  5. Gradually add flour mixture.
  6. Divide batter among lined cups.
  7. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  Cupcakes will not be domed.
  8. To finish, dip tops of cupcakes in chocolate ganache glaze, then turn over quickly and garnish with coconut.





Comments

rebecca @ beurrista said…
i was wondering aloud what this mayan calendar is about and krista just explained it to me. i'll have to google to get a more thorough answer.

i've been eyeing this recipe for awhile and have been considering making it... i love the coconut/chocolate combination. as always, your photos look beautiful, as does the view out your kitchen window. :)
December 13, 2012 at 2:41 PM
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