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I know a really cool girl.
She’s SUPER nice.
Very pretty.
Dang funny.
Clever and cute.
Do you have any friends like her?
I bet you do.
Everyone should.
She’s not one to gossip or spread nasty stories.
Who wants to waste time with that kind of poison?
She laughs at my jokes!
Takes a special kind of person…
She lives right on my very street.
What are the odds!
She was kind enough to birth many children who happen to be the same ages as my children. Playmates all around.
It’s almost too good to be true isn’t it.
And (get this!) she loves to bake and create beautiful,
heavenly things with flour and sugar and butter.
Did I mention she is treasure in many forms?
She’s the kind of gal you just thank your lucky stars you are fortunate enough to know and love…
and call dear friend.
Is this getting sappy and sugary enough for you?
She is the brains behind these Fabulous Coconut Cream Cupcakes.
Pretty nice of her to share them with us, wouldn’t you say?
Told you she was great.
If you love coconut…PLEASE make these cupcakes at your earliest convenience. They are strait from HEAVEN! Light and moist coconut cupcakes are filled with a creamy coconut pudding, frosted with a coconut buttercream and topped with toasted coconut. The texture of each different layer pushes these babies right over the edge of wonderful to a whole new land of heavenly bliss. Trust me…they are worth your time. 🙂
Coconut Cream Cupcakes
Time: 60 min. hands on + 18 min. baking + 30 min. cooling
Yield: 24-28 cupcakes
Recipe from the beautiful Cindi Schut
CUPCAKE:
1 white cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) box instant coconut cream pudding
1/3 C flour
1/3 C sour cream
1 1/2 C water
1 t coconut extract
4 eggs
1/3 C vegetable or canola oil
FILLING:
1 (3.4 ounce) box instant coconut cream pudding
2 C half and half
TOPPING:
1/2 C butter flavored shortening
1/2 C butter, softened
1 t coconut extract
3 1/2 – 4 C powdered sugar
1-2 T milk
3 C coconut
3 C coconut
CUPCAKES
1. Pour the cake mix, flour and one box of the pudding into your stand mixer, or into a large mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients together to combine.
2. Add the sour cream , water, eggs, oil and coconut extract to the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until the ingredients are combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and then beat on medium high speed for 2 minutes. The batter should be nice and glossy.
3. Put some cupcake liners into your muffin tins. Fill each one 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
4. Remove the pans from the oven and let them sit on the counter for about 5 minutes. Pour the cupcakes out of the muffin tins and then set them upright on a cooling rack. Let them cool completely.
FILLING and COCONUT TOASTING
1. While your cupcakes are cooling, mix the other box of pudding and the half and half together in your stand mixer. It should take about 3 minutes for the pudding to thicken up.
2. Lay the coconut out on a large jelly roll pan.
PLEASE NOTE: Coconut gives off a bit of a burning gas when it’s toasted. No reason be alarmed or anything, it’s not super dangerous…or disgusting or anything. When you open the oven wait a few seconds before you lean down to peer in at it. Otherwise you will have stinging and burning eyes. End of note thanks for reading.
3. Toast the coconut in your oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. You’ll want to stir it around a couple of times while it’s toasting. Once it’s golden brown take it out of the oven and let it cool.
4. When your cupcakes have cooled, place a large cake decorating tip (the tip number doesn’t matter much. It just needs to be one with a large opening) into a pastry bag. Spoon the filling into the bag.
5. Stick the tip of your bag into the top of each cupcake,
and squeeze some filling into the middle.
TOPPING
1. Beat the butter and shortening together in your stand mixer until smooth. Add the the powdered sugar, milk and coconut extract. Beat it until well combined. If it seems a bit too thick more milk. If it seems too runny add more powdered sugar.
2. Pipe the frosting onto the top of each cupcake.
3. Place some of the toasted coconut into a small bowl and dip the frosted coconut into it.
Be sure you do this just after the cupcake has been frosted. If you frost them all of the cupcakes first the frosting will begin to harden and won’t stick to the coconut.
4. If it looks a little bit messy (with coconut falling all over the place) just cup your hand around the top to help the coconut fasted itself to the frosting.
5. Store the cupcakes in the fridge. When you are ready to serve them, allow them to sit out for about 20 minutes before eating. They also freeze really well.
Enjoy!!!!
For a complete list of Holiday Treats
click HERE.
I still dream about these cupcakes they are so scrumptious! Nice tribute to Cind too!:) You both are fabulous for bringing this beauty to the masses!:) Loves!
Um, I love all things coconut. Even the M&M's . And any chocolate with coconut filling. And any kind of cookie with coconut.
And I happen to own a coconut smelly body spray, that I wear even in the dead of winter.
The taste and smell takes me right to some white sand beach with the sounds of the ocean waves and perhaps a seagull or two.
Okay, back to freezingmybuttoffidahofallsville.
WITH THAT–CAN NOT WAIT TO TRY THESE.
Thanks to your sweet friend. And yes, I know a few gals that make the A list that are similar to her….whom are my friends. God bless 'em!!!!!
I have plenty of extra toasted coconut, because my kids freaked out about putting it on all of them…weirdos….so I was wondering if you knew if you could store it and if so, how? Ziplock? Room temp or in the fridge???
{HUGS}
Larsen,
I had a bit left over as well and have been storing it in a ziploc bag in my pantry. Not sure how long it will last, but it's still good a couple of weeks later, at least.
Good luck! Hope you loved the cupcakes!
~Jamie
OMG! I made these this past weekend and they are sooooooo good. I describe them as decadent, creamy, moist, HEAVENLY. I took some to work and everyone was in love with them. Even my 84 year old dad loved them and asked for more. Thank you Jamie for bringing us so many wonderful recipes. Every recipe I have tried from your site has been a winner and a keeper! Merry Christmas to you and your wonderful family from the mountains of North Carolina.
oh no! I accidentally got cook & serve pudding instead of instant! I was going to make these for a baby shower tomorrow! Can I still use the cook & serve or will that ruin them?
Hi Lindsey,
Bummer, I hate it when I make a mistake like that. I haven't ever tried cook and serve with these cupcakes. If you live close to the store, you may want to run back and get the instant. If not…my thoughts are that the cook and serve wouldn't ruin them, they just might have a little different consisntancy and I'm not sure how they would bake up. Wish I had better advice for you! Good luck. If you try it with the cook and serve I would love to hear how they turn out.
~Jamie
~Jamie
I went to two stores and couldn't find instant coconut cream pudding. I bought vanilla and thought of adding coconut extract. Any suggestions?
You could try that and see, I bet it would turn out pretty well. Good luck!
~Jamie
When mine were cooling they caved in and got all shriveled up 🙁 what did I do wrong?? Did I over beat? What would cause this? They still taste delicious, they just aren't very pretty. I'm hoping the filling, frosting, and coconut on top will help.
Hi Nichole,
So sorry to hear about your cupcakes. I hope the filling, frosting and topping made them look lovely. I have had my cupcakes shrivel and cave in as well. Sometimes it happens is I use a Butter Recipe Betty Crocker Cake Mix. Also, if don't bake them long enough they can cave in a bit while cooling.
Hope this helps! So glad they still tasted good. 🙂
~Jamie
Um… These are amazing. I made them this week for some “adopted mothers” of mine. They LOVED them! And I did too! Thanks for sharing.