Coconut Cupcakes

So it's official- I am not longer a 'buggy driver'. Well granted, I probably can still own anybody going down that hill- pikes would not be happy with me. at all.

The real world makes you fat- we know that. But does the real world really make you gain a pound in only ONE day?!?!

I went to the office gym on Monday and weighed myself and did the same thing Tuesday evening and saw that I gained a pound! How did that happen, you ask?? I blame cupcakes, and Ina Garten- the Barefoot Contessa (I legit hate her and her Jeffrey references btw). But boy are her recipes delicious!!!

Monday night, I decided to make Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes. I've made them before and they were a big hit and I thought I'd make some for a big meeting I had at the office! The recipe follows:

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For the batter:
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

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And there you have it! These cupcakes are SO good- everyone at the office loved them! Lots of moaning and groaning noises at that meeting, I'll tell ya. :)

Of course, being me, something always has to go wrong. The night before, I made sure to check that I had all the ingredients- and of course it seemed like I did. When going about making the cupcakes, it turns out that my bottle of almond extract was empty. Oh gosh. So I had to omit the almond extract and just stick to pure vanilla- but thankfully the cupcakes still turned out ok. I do like it with a bit of almond extract- but if you're like my mom (who hates the aroma of almond flavored anything) you now know that you can just stick with vanilla!

The frosting is creamy and delicious- after making this simple frosting you wonder why you ever used frosting from a can. The cake is soft and moist and huge, might I add. What a great recipe and it's perfect for the upcoming holiday (hopefully snowy) season!!

This is a great recipe- although very fattening- is still something you should try to make at least once! You'll be a hit during the holidays with this recipe- try it out! :)

Warning: You will instantly gain weight once this touches your mouth.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Time: 1 hour

Taste: 9.5