Tuesday's Treat: Mini Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
Mini coconut cupcakes that are moist and light with a delicious cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
  • Mini Cupcakes:
  • 1½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
  • ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ teaspoon Amaretto di Amore (almond extract or vanilla extract ok too)
  • 1½ cups gluten-free flour (See Gluten Free Flour Blend below)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut (about ½ bag, use ¾ in mix and save ¼ to sprinkle over frosting at the end)
  • Frosting:
  • ½ pound cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon Amaretto di Amore
  • ¾ pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • *Gluten Free Flour Blend (This recipe yields 3 cups. You should make at least that amount or even double it and store the remainder in an airtight container for future use):
  • 2 cups white rice flour
  • ⅔ cup potato starch
  • ⅓ cup tapioca flour
  • 1 teaspoon zanthan gum
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare gluten free flour blend by mixing all items together very well (it is important to make sure each ingredient is well distributed throughout the blend).
  2. Mini Cupcakes:
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
  5. Add the vanilla extract and Amaretto di Amore and mix well.
  6. In a separate bowl, sift together the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  7. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.
  8. Fold in ¾ of coconut.
  9. Spray a mini cupcake pan with butter flavor pam or line with mini cupcake liners. Fill each to the top with batter.
  10. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
  11. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
  12. Frosting:
  13. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanillaextract and Amaretto di Amore.
  14. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
  15. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.
Recipe by Jackie Ourman at http://jackieourman.com/tuesdays-treat-mini-coconut-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting/