When my daughter was just about four months old we found out we were pregnant again (SUPRISE!!!!) It’s been three years since our little man was born and he hasn’t stopped surprising us.
Sometimes they are good, like when he runs up and gives me a big hug and kiss for no reason(although he usually follows by farting loudly and running away laughing. Boys.)
Sometimes they are scary, like when he climbs to the top of the playground and attempts to jump down (moms of boys, you know what I’m talking about!)
Sometimes they are funny, like when he makes up songs out of no where (ex: rub a dub dub/where’s my grub/ GOOOOOO MOOOOOMMMMMYYYY!!! while standing up on a dining room chair and pumping his arms up and down)
So I don’t know why I was surprised when he changed his mind about what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. Unlike M who decided she wanted an Angry Birds cake (that’s just her personality: once she wants something, her mind is made up) he changed it up on me. He said he wanted a pirate ship cake so I was all set to make a version of this (from pinterest, of course) But then he changed it up on me and said he wanted coconut cupcakes (his words, not mine. Seriously!)
Ok, I can do that. I was all set again to make coconut cupcakes with pirate cupcake toppers. Easy day. Ohhh no….then he changed his mind again. He wanted rainbow coconut cupcakes (again, his words, not mine. Seriously!)
So I did both. On his actual birthday I made some pirate cupcake toppers. Then with the left over’s, we tinted some flaked coconut for some rainbow “sprinkles” and had fun decorating cupcakes as well. Not surprisingly, he loved sprinkling these confetti type sprinkles on the cupcakes.
So to my sometimes stubborn, always sweet, and eternally loveable son, a very happy third birthday! We can’t wait to see what other surprises you have in store for us!!!
| Coconut Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Rainbow Coconut “Sprinkles” |
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Ingredients
- For the Cupcakes:
- 2 13-to 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- For the Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk (see above), room temperature
- Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon food coloring in red, yellow, orange, green, blue
Preparation
- To make the cupcakes:
- Put the coconut milk in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook to reduce to about half (about 30-45 minutes.) Stir occasionally. Cool the coconut milk to room temperature, and place 1/3 cup aside for the frosting.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.
- Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat on medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.
- Beat in seeds from vanilla bean and remaining egg. Add half of flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended.
- Add 1 cup reduced coconut milk; mix just until blended. Add remaining flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended.
- Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake cupcakes until tops spring back when gently touched and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes in pans to rack; cool 10 minutes. Carefully remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on rack.
- While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
- Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk, seeds from vanilla bean, and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until blended, scraping down sides of bowl. Increase to mediumhigh and beat until light and fluffy.
- To make the coconut “sprinkles”
- Divide flaked coconut into five small bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl and mix well to coat the flakes. Heat the oven to 350 and spread the colored coconut in a thin layer on a lined, rimmed sheet pan. Toast 5-10 minutes until the flakes are no longer wet and slightly toasted (watch carefully though because it can burn easily!)
Notes
The reduced coconut milk can be made up to two days before. Store in an air tight container and refrigerate.
The coconut sprinkles can be made up to a week ahead. Store in a airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
Recipe adapted from Vanilla Bean and Coconut Cupcakes
22 Responses to Coconut-Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Rainbow Coconut “Sprinkles”
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Love the bright colourful photos! Pretty sure I would like the cupcakes too! Pinning
How very beautiful!! I love coconut on cake… and never thought to customize the color!! Kudos for being so creative! Hope your little man had a fabulous b-day!!!
Thanks, Ramona, we thought it was fun too!
Happy Birthday to your little man! Little boys sure are fun, aren’t they!
I love this story! I also love the coconut as colored sprinkles! What a great idea! And may I say that your fear of frosting cupcakes has obviously been conqured!
Ha, thanks, Chandra! I actually piped the frosting for the first round, and they were not pretty (at all!) so this time, I just slathered the tops and that seemed to work out better for me!
Awww what a sweet post! Happy Birthday to your little man…hugs!
Those cupcakes are very festive as they should look! Beautiful!
I love that you made these sprinkles with shredded coconut! So creative! Something I’ll have to try very soon, the next time I make cupcakes!
Your sprinkles are the most creative thing I’ve seen on the blogisphere in weeks! SUPER cool!
Thanks, Tiffany!
Happy 3rd b-day to your little boy! He’s lucky mommy is a great baker who can bake ANYTHING! I love coconut & vanilla bean…. this is also my favorite flavor cupcakes! I love how they look too.
Aww, thank you Nami! I don’t bake often, so when I do, I try to go all out.
Gotta love boys… I have 2 so I totally understand what your saying. The cupcakes look fantastic I love the coconut sprinkle super fun! I hope he had a wonderful 3rd Birthday. I’m lucky Henry turned 2 so he didn’t have an opinion on his cake this year but I am sure that will be different next year.
This was the first year that both kids had a say in their cakes….but at least they will still go for homemade and aren’t insisting on store-bought cakes!
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Happy Birthday little guy! These look amazing! I’m crazy for coconut and I love those “sprinkles”!!!
[...] Via Mom de Cuisine [...]
Happiest birthday wishes to your son! Boy, oh boy, time does fly. This is such a great idea Alyssa with the dessicated coconut for topping – the colours look so vibrant and sprinkle-like (only better!
). Lovely photos too.
p.s. There will no doubt be more surprises in store – there always are
.
Lol, I’m sure that the surprises won’t stop!
So cute! These cupcakes look really delicious and fun.
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