almond cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting and toasted coconut 79

INGREDIENTS

makes 24 cupcakes

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups milk

dark chocolate frosting
2 2/3 cups confectioner’s sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups shaved ghirardelli baking chocolate (unsweetened 100% cacao)
1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup shredded coconut for toasting and topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. make the cupcakes: cream the butter and sugar until smooth. add the eggs, almond and vanilla extract and milk. in a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, then mix into the wet ingredients.

2. fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter and bake for about 20 minutes at 375F. remove from the cupcake tray and let cool on a rack completely before frosting.

3. make the frosting: soften the butter in the microwave for about 40 seconds and mix in the confectioner’s sugar. add the vanilla and cream. shave the chocolate directly into the butter mixture, stirring to combine. you can test as you go and add more chocolate if you’d like.

4. move the frosting to a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan with about 2 inches of water in it on medium heat. you want to really get the frosting smooth and creamy without direct heat from the flame, but it should not take long (maybe 5 minutes). you can continue tasting and adding chocolate or a bit more cream. let it cool at room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.

5. in a non-stick frying pan, heat up shredded coconut on low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the coconut begins to brown. immediately take it off the heat and continue stirring. top the frosted cupcakes with the toasted coconut.

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