Coconut Cupcakes

I have been craving Coconut Cake for months! I mean, MONTHS! But, ironically, I don't know if I've ever tasted a coconut cake in my life. However, the words coconut & cake together left me salivating.

I finally gave up on the idea of going to a restaurant that I heard serves the best coconut cake, and decided I would whip something up myself. After much research, I decided to settle with some coconut cupcakes (because cupcakes are much easier to share, and who doesn't like a reason to go visit with friends)!

I settled on a recipe from Tender Crumb and was utterly impressed with these! Like, super in LOVE with them. I followed the directions explicitly, and they are just so delicious.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that I used my dry milk to create the buttermilk. In case you have dry milk food storage you want to start digging into, here are the measurements for buttermilk: 1/3 cup dry milk mixed with 1 cup water. Then add a tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar and let it set for a few minutes.

Here is the recipe copied straight from Tender Crumb blog. However, these photos are from my very own kitchen! Salivating yet?

Coconut Cupcakes
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
makes 12-15 cupcakes

Cupcakes

6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 oz shredded sweetened coconut
toasted shredded coconut to top the cupcakes

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
6 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 lb powdered 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. 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 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, 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 toasted coconut.

Kneaders Key Lime Tarts

Let me start out by explaining the difference between Key limes and your everyday supermarket variety, the Persian lime. Key limes come from the Florida Keys, thus their name, and are smaller, more yellow and contain more seeds than the green skinned Persian limes. The bad news is they’re almost impossible to find fresh at your local market, but the good news is Persian limes work just as well in this particular recipe.

Ingredients

• ½ cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
• 4 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 8 3” tart shells

Preparation

1. It’s easiest to remove the lime zest from whole limes so start with that.

2. Cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice being careful to not include any seeds.

3. Whisk the egg yolks and lime zest together in a bowl until tinted light green. This takes about 2 minutes.

4. Beat in the milk, then juice and set aside at room temp till it thickens.

5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

6. Pour mixture into tart crusts, bake for 5 minutes until the center is set, but still wiggles when shaken.

7. Remove from the oven and cool to room temp.

8. Refrigerate for at least three hours until well chilled.

9. Serve with whipped cream topping and decorate with a lime wedge.

Makes 8 Tarts

Double Chocolate Banana Cookies

3 to 4 extra-ripe medium Bananas
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups margarine, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

•Puree bananas in blender; measure 2 cups for the recipe.
•Combine oats, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt until well mixed. Stir in bananas, margarine and eggs until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
•Refrigerate batter 1 hour or until mixture becomes partially firm (batter runs during baking if too soft).
•Preheat oven to 350 F.. Measure 1/4 cup batter for each cookie; drop onto greased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with spatula.
•Bake 15-17 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen e inch cookies.

•••Layla, if you remember when I made these they were super flat--that was because I didn't put oatmeal in the cookies, and didn't let them refrigerate for long enough. So, if you liked how they tasted then just don't add the oatmeal. :)

Aunt Dorothy's Famous Mint Brownies!!

1 c. Flour
1/2 c. Butter softened
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 can (16 oz) Chocolat syrup
1 c. Sugar
Mix flour, 1/2 c. butter, salt, eggs, vanilla, chocolat syrup, and suger together. Bake in greased pan at 350 for 30 min. Top will still appear moist. Cool.

1/2 c. Butter
2 c. Powdered sugar
1 tbl. Water
1/2 tsp. Mint extract
3 drops Green food coloring

Mix powdered sugar, 1/2 c. butter, water, mint and food coloring and spread on top of cooled brownies. Chill.

1 pkg. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
9 tbl. Butter

Melt chocolate chips and 9 tbl. butter together and spread on top of mint layer. Keep chilled before cutting and serving.

Jello Cake

I know that I've been posting a lot lately but I findthis fun to share recipes with everyone!! Here is another of my favorite cakes!!

1 yellow or white cake mix
6 oz. pkg. of jello
4 eggs
3/4 c. water
3/4 c. oil
2 c. powdered sugar
Lemon jucie

Combine cake mix, Jello, eggs, water, and oil. Pour into greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. Mix powdered suger and enough lemon jucie to make a smooth glaze. Immediatley after removing cake from oven, use a fork to poke holes all over it. Pour glaze over entire cake. Let cool before serving.

The picture just doesn't do it justice!!

Texas Sheet Cake

This is my Moms recipe but it is the best cake ever so I'd thought that I'd share it. I know Diana will love it!!

2 c. Flour
2 c. Sugar
1 c. Butter or Margarine
1/4 c. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 c. Water
1/2 c. Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix flour and sugar in a large bowl and set aside
Bring butter, cocoa, and water to a boil. Pour hot mixture over flour and sugar. Mix until well blended. Add milk, soda, eggs, and vanilla and beat until well mixed. Pour batter onto a large cookie sheet with edges and bake at 350 for about 20. Frost while still hot.
HINT: Add 1 tbl. Vinegar to 1/2 c. Milk to make it sour! Easier than buying buttermilk!!!

Frosting:

1/2 c. Butter or Margarine
1/4 c. Unsweetened cocoa
5 tbl. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
4 c. Powder Sugar

Mix butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the powdered sugar. This is not as thick as regular frosting. Spread over warm cake.
Enjoy!!!

Tiramisu

This is a two part recipe. First is the cookies that make the bottom of the Tiramisu.

Savaidi a.k.a Ladyfingers

3 eggs seperated
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Beat egg yolk until thick and lemon colored. Beat in almond extract. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and gradually beat in suger until whites are glossy and very stiff.

Fold egg yolks gently into egg whites

Fold in sifted dry ingredients

Drop batter by Tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheet forming finger in 3 inch long and 1 inch wide. Bake in moderate 350 degree oven for 10 min. or until light brown.

Remove immediatly from cookie sheet and cool on rack. Yeilds 3 dozen.

Now it is time for the actual Tiramisu:

3 egg yolks
1/4 c. white suger
2 tsp. vanilla
1&1/8 cups Mascarpone cheese (substitute Cream Cheese and it's just as good)
24 Ladyfinger
1&1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until smooth and light yellow. Fold cheese into yolk mixture. Set aside.

Dip Ladyfingers briefly in coffee and arrange 12 of them in the bottom of an 8X8 inch dish. Spread half the cheese mixture over the lady fingers. Repeat with remaining cookies and cheese mixture. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Sprinkle with cocoa before serving.

Triple-Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 can (21oz) cherry pie filling
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bag (12 oz) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 container whipped chocolate frosting (or you can use coolwhip with instant chocolate pudding)

1.Heat Oven to 350 degrees. (325 for dark/nonstick) Grease and flour, or spray with baking spray.
2. In large bowl, gently mix dry cake mix, pie filling, eggs, and chocolate chips with rubber scraper. Break up any undissolved cake mix. Carefully spread in pan.
3. Bake 15x10x1 inch pan 25-30 minutes. 13x9 pan 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inswerted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Frost with frosting if desired.

Yum!