Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream

This Coconut Cupcake recipe is my Mother's absolute favorite cupcake that I make.  This is the cupcake she asked me to make for her 90th Birthday last October.  They are delicious and super easy to make.  Here's the recipe:

Coconut Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
1 cup lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with 24 paper cupcake liners.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg on a sheet of wax or parchment paper.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add half of the sugar and beat for 1 minute; add the remaining sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for 45 seconds each time, then add the vanilla extract. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the speed to low. Alternately add the sifted mixture in 3 additions and the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the sifted mixture. The batter will be smooth and moderately thick. Add the coconut, beating on low until incorporated.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling them slightly more than half-full. Bake for 18 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until the cupcakes have risen and completely set. A wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a baked cupcake will withdraw with a few moist crumbs attached.

Cool the cupcakes in the pans on wire cooling racks for 15 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to the wire racks to cool completely.

Coconut Decorators Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup Crisco shortening (not butter flavored)

2 teaspoons coconut flavoring (I use LorAnn)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash of salt

2 lbs. powdered sugar

Place butter and shortening in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on high for 5 minutes. Do not under beat, use a timer. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar. Add coconut flavoring, vanilla and salt. Add more coconut flavoring if it doesn't taste enough like coconut for you.  If frosting becomes to liquid, add more powdered sugar until frosting will hold a peak. Place decorating tip in a pastry bag and fill with frosting. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and sprinkle with coconut.  

At Christmas time and during the winter months I mold small white chocolate snowflakes and use them to top the cupcakes.  I then call them Coconut Snowball Cupcakes.  You can also use a little paste coloring to tint the frosting any color you would like if you don't want them all white.

These cupcakes are so yummy, I could eat the entire batch.