Just one little moist, light cupcake. After you eat it, I think you will be more than satisfied. Sometimes we don’t need a heavy, super-rich dessert. We don’t really want to feel weighed down after eating a treat but, we always want to feel like it was worth the splurge! This mini coconut cupcake with cream cheese frosting definitely fits the bill. I was very happy with the end result. Once again, this was tested by several of my tasters who are not gluten-free and don’t have any allergies. The feedback was all positive and one even said “I would buy this if it were for sale, right now”! Hmmm….I’ll have to keep that in mind. In the meantime, here is the recipe for your enjoyment!
This was adapted from Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcake recipe. She makes amazing desserts and I always like to start with a really solid recipe before playing around to make a gluten/peanut-free version. The original recipe calls for almond extract in the cake and in the frosting. I could not find my almond extract so I used Amaretto di Amore. I loved the taste so much, I continue to use it. Also, I researched and found that according to the Disaronno website, their amaretto contains no almonds, and is gluten and nut-free. It is apparently made from crushed apricot pits. However, please research this on your own if you are allergic to tree nuts and, if you would rather be on the safe side, you should just use additional vanilla extract in place of the amaretto.
- 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
- 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).
- Mini Cupcakes:
- 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.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract and Amaretto di Amore and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in ¾ of coconut.
- Spray a mini cupcake pan with butter flavor pam or line with mini cupcake liners. Fill each to the top with batter.
- 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.
- Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
- Frosting:
- 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.
- Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
- Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.
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