Chocolate Caramel Coconut Cupcakes Food

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL COCONUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 3-4 liners - this recipe makes about 15-16 cupcakes. Set aside.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and solid coconut oil together on high speed until smooth and creamy - about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the coconut milk and shredded coconut until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no large lumps stuck at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick with a few lumps of shredded coconut.
• Pour/spoon the batter into the liners - fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely.
• Using a sharp knife, cut a circle/hole into the center of the cooled cupcake to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. This piece you removed will be the shape of a cone. Set it aside. Place about 1 teaspoon of caramel inside the cupcake- or however much will fit. Slice off the pointy end of the "cone" piece of cupcake you removed so that it can fit on top of the filling. Repeat with all cupcakes.
• Prepare frosting and frost cooled cupcakes. I used the Wilton #12 round piping tip. Top with any leftover caramel and toasted coconut, if desired.

COCONUT CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING, TOPPED WITH CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING AND TOASTED COCONUT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a regular-size cupcake pan with 18 cupcake liners.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Slowly add oil to the mixture until fine crumbs are formed. Add the eggs, milk, and coconut extract and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape the bowl and paddle, and then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter and bake until baked through, about 20 minutes. Do not open the oven during this time. Cool the cupcakes completely after baking.
• To assemble, core each cupcake with an apple corer to create a pocket for the filling. Put the Chocolate Ganache Filling into a pastry bag and cut 1/2-inch off the tip. Fill each cupcake with the filling. Put the Caramel Buttercream Frosting into a pastry bag and cut 1/2-inch off the tip. Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes in a circular motion until completely covered. Once frosted, dip the cupcakes in a bowl of the toasted coconut and serve.
• Melt the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture constantly until melted and smooth. Be careful not to burn. Remove from the heat to cool completely.
• Stir 1 cup butter, heavy cream, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla together in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave at 1 to 2 minute intervals, stirring between intervals. The caramel will be thick and bubbly when done. The caramel must sit and cool completely in order to incorporate into the buttercream.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 pound butter until creamed. Add the powdered sugar and 1/4 cup cooled caramel and mix until the ingredients are evenly incorporated and the frosting is smooth and creamy.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions for cupcakes. Fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups one-third full; set remaining batter aside. Bake at 350° for 7-8 minutes or until top of cupcake appears set., Gently press a caramel into each cupcake; sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. Top with remaining batter. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until a toothpick comes out clean. , Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost with chocolate frosting and drizzle with ice cream topping. Sprinkle with additional nuts if desired.