I've had these bookmarked since Thanksgiving. It was a recipe for a layer cake from Bobby Flay's Throwdown! book. I decided to make them as cupcakes instead. White cake brushed with coconut sugar syrup, filled with coconut pudding, topped with coconut custard buttercream and topped with toasted coconut.
It was featured in the December issue of Food Network magazine. I've never seen Throwdown! as they don't show it on Food Network UK, but I can get an imported copy of the magazine sometimes from the newsagent.
These definitely take a lot of work but it is worth it. The sugar syrup keeps the cake moist and the custard that goes into the buttercream gives it an amazing coconut taste and is really soft and fluffy.
These cases are from Wilton and are at most hobby stores in the US. I bought red ones like these at Jane Asher in the UK. They are very pretty but a little bit of a pain. They don't fit in a muffin tray and have to be placed on a baking sheet. be careful not to overfill them otherwise the cupcakes will come out misshapen.
Toasted Coconut Cupcakes
adapted from Food Network Magazine and Bobby Flay's Throwdown! (makes 12 cupcakes)
Ingredients
Cake
12 tbs cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
2 1/4 cups self rising flour
1 cup milk
6 large egg whites at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tbs + 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Coconut Custard
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbs cornstarch/cornflour
2 tsp Malibu or coconut extract
Coconut Sugar Syrup
1 tbs sugar
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups water
Coconut Filling
3/4 cup coconut custard
3/4 cup heavy cream/double cream, cold
Coconut Buttercream
3 sticks (345g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup coconut custard
pinch of salt
Topping
Toasted coconut
1. Make the coconut custard first by combining the milk, coconut milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Simmer over a low heat.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar and cornflour together in a large bowl. Whisk the warm milk mixture into the eggs. Pour back into the pan and bring to a boil. Keep whisking until it becomes thick. Scrape into a bowl and add the Malibu. Let the custard reach room temperature and then cover and refrigerate until cold.
2 1/4 cups self rising flour
1 cup milk
6 large egg whites at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tbs + 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Coconut Custard
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbs cornstarch/cornflour
2 tsp Malibu or coconut extract
Coconut Sugar Syrup
1 tbs sugar
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups water
Coconut Filling
3/4 cup coconut custard
3/4 cup heavy cream/double cream, cold
Coconut Buttercream
3 sticks (345g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup coconut custard
pinch of salt
Topping
Toasted coconut
1. Make the coconut custard first by combining the milk, coconut milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Simmer over a low heat.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar and cornflour together in a large bowl. Whisk the warm milk mixture into the eggs. Pour back into the pan and bring to a boil. Keep whisking until it becomes thick. Scrape into a bowl and add the Malibu. Let the custard reach room temperature and then cover and refrigerate until cold.
3. Make the syrup for the cake. Combine the water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the coconut and and remove from the heat. Leave for 30 minutes up to 4 hours. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil for 5 minutes and set aside to cool.
4. Make the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C and line a muffin tray with cases. Whisk together the milk, egg whites and vanilla into a medium bowl.
5. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix the butter in one cube at a time with an electric mixer on low speed until the batter looks like wet crumbs.
6. Add all the milk mixture except 1/2 cup and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the last 1/2 cup and beat for 30 seconds. Fill each cup and bake for 15-20 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Make the coconut filling by beating the coconut custard and cream and whip until soft peaks form.
8. Make the coconut buttercream by beating the butter and 1/3 cup of icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the coconut custard and salt and beat until smooth. Add the rest of the icing sugar until desired consistency is reached.
9. Brush each cupcake with a little sugar syrup and let it soak in a for a few minutes. Don't use too much or the cake will get soggy.
10. Cut out a cone shaped hole into each cupcake and place one teaspoon of coconut filling in each. Pipe coconut buttercream on top of each cupcake and sprinkle with some toasted coconut.
11. Toasted coconut can be made by spreading some shredded coconut on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes at 350/180 C.
After all that work sit down and eat one of these babies!
