Back in July I was reading a post on the blog Sprinkle Bakes. I saw that she had made a sweet treat for Frosting for the Cause. I immediately wanted to join in. My family has experienced many different forms of cancer. My Mother in Law is a breast cancer survivor, currently in remission and had recently done the Race for the Cure. My Step Father is a Prostate Cancer survivor, and my Great Grandmother, who passed away in May from complications to age, was a Skin Cancer survivor. Two weeks prior to reading the Sprinkle Bakes post, a high school friend lost her 34 year old Sister in Law to Breast Cancer. My heart was broken for my friend and her family. A little girl was left behind to grow up without her mommy, just the memories they had shared together. I am grateful that my family was spared the death, though not the worry, and that my Mother in Law is in remission. Yet my heart aches for those families that face a battle lost and lives shattered.
For my contribution, I wanted to make my Mother in Law's favorite dessert which is
Anything Chocolate
Lucky for me, this is a very versatile request:)
Coconut Cream Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe-Yield 12 cupcakes
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Oil
1 Egg
1/2 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Hot Water- held out until the end.
Mix together dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Scrap down sides and bottom of the bowl until incorporated. Add the hot water and mix slowly to avoid splashing. Don't panic that the batter now seems to runny, that is normal and it will bake up properly.
Fill the 12 cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
After they are baked, remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cool until room temperature.
Take a can of full fat coconut milk, and place it in the fridge overnight. Scoop out the thickened coconut cream and place it in a chilled mixing bowl. Discard the coconut water at the bottom of the can, or use it on another recipe. I learned this trick HERE.
Take 1 Vanilla Bean and scrap all of the seeds out, then add to the Coconut Cream
Whip together until soft peaks form, then add 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar, and whip until incorporated.
Refrigerate the Cream then add to a squeeze bottle.
Insert the squeeze bottle into the dome of each cupcake, and inject a small amount of the coconut cream.
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
1/2 stick Butter- room temperature
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1-2 Tablespoons Milk
Toasted Coconut Topping
Cream the butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Pour in the vanilla and 1T of the milk. Beat until mixed, add more milk until desired consistency. Place frosting into a piping bag with a 1M Wilton tip, and do a large swirl on each cupcake.
Toast 1/2 of shredded coconut at 300 degrees, stirring every 90 seconds until golden brown. Once it has cooled, sprinkle onto each frosting top.
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