Desserts are a must at any party, but a soiree on the patio or in the garden calls for things that are easily handled while standing around in strappy sandals, balancing a cocktail, and still being your fabulous self. Cupcakes. Perfect, pretty, and no need for the Palmolive dishwashing liquid.
I made coconut cupcakes in foil wrappers, which are super fantastically shiny, and with an afro of coconut on top, the cupcakes look like they were ready for Saturday Night Fever, so I call these Disco-conut Cupcakes (TM).
Sarah's Disco-conut Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake/muffin tin with foil liners.
Sift together 2½ c. cake flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt.
In a separate bowl, cream 2 sticks butter at room temperature with 1¼ c. sugar. Add 4 large eggs, one at a time. Stir in ½ tsp vanilla and 1 tsp coconut extract.
Stir in flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture alternately with 1 c. whole milk, starting and ending with flour mixture.
Pour into cupcake liners, about 2/3 full. (The batter will fill about 18 cupcakes). Bake for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Frost completely cooled cupcakes with your favorite vanilla or cream cheese frosting that has been flavored with ¼ tsp of coconut extract. Press sweetened, shredded dried coconut into frosting (about 2 cups).
** Note: You can add up to ¾ c. shredded coconut to the cake batter, but I like my cakes pure.
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