a church friend of ours, brought it to our Fourth of July gathering one summer, I had never bought before in my life because coconut just isn’t something that excites me. That was a really long sentence. And I don’t think it made grammatical sense. I’m exhausted now. Anyway, I don’t mind the flavor of coconut, which sets it apart from bananas in that banana flavor (along with its texture and sheer existence) makes me want to die a thousand deaths, but I’m just not crazy about the texture…particulary of the shredded, sweet stuff. Never have been. Except in Italian Cream Cake. And, after yesterday, Italian Cream…Cupcakes. Now, I know the nature of a foodblogger is to post photos and a recipe and write something along the lines of “These are so delicious!” And I’ll just warn you that since I am a foodblogger, I’m about to do that very thing. So let me get that over with first: These are so delicious. So now let me get onto the specifics: If you think you love Italian Cream Cake…you’ve gotta try it in cupcake form. I wound up loving the cupcake version even better than the cake, and after hours and hours of contemplating and reflecting, I’ve figured out why: The ingredients in this batter result in a nice, golden, every-so-slightly crisp surface, and the cupcakes have a lot more surface area than a piece of cake. So once you get the icing involved, you’ve got a whole lotta deliciousness going on! Here. Let me show you. Italian Cream CupcakesStart by separating some eggs. Put the yolks in one bowl… Italian Cream CupcakesThen put the whites in the bowl of a mixer and beat them until they’re stiff. Transfer them to a separate bowl and set them aside, then clean the bowl to start on the batter (or use a second mixing bowl if you have one.) Italian Cream CupcakesThe batter starts with softened butter and sugar. Italian Cream CupcakesAdd a little oil, the beat this together until totally combined. Italian Cream CupcakesAdd the yolks to the bowl… Italian Cream CupcakesAlong with some vanilla. Then beat it together some more. Italian Cream CupcakesThen measure a good cup of the coconut… Italian Cream CupcakesAdd it to the bowl… Italian Cream CupcakesAnd mix it till it’s all combined. Italian Cream CupcakesFor the dry ingredients, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl… Italian Cream CupcakesAnd mix it together. Italian Cream CupcakesNow just alternate adding the dry ingredients… Italian Cream CupcakesWith some buttermilk… Italian Cream CupcakesUntil it’s all mixed together. Italian Cream CupcakesGive the bowl a scrape and mix it again to make sure everything’s incorporated. Italian Cream CupcakesThen remove the whisk attachment… Italian Cream CupcakesDump in the egg whites… Italian Cream CupcakesAnd gently fold them in… Italian Cream CupcakesUntil you have a beautiful, light, gorgeous, golden batter! Italian Cream CupcakesLine a muffin pan with paper liners… Italian Cream CupcakesFill them 3/4 full with batter… Italian Cream CupcakesAnd bake them for about 13-14 minutes, or until nice and golden and gorgeous. Italian Cream CupcakesNow, because I couldn’t make up my mind, I did a mix of regular-sized cupcakes… Italian Cream CupcakesAnd mini ones. “It’s a woman’s prerogative to bake a variety of cupcake sizes.” —Confucius Italian Cream CupcakesLet the cupcakes cool completely, then whip up the ridonkulously delicious frosting: Add some softened butter and cream cheese to the mixer… Italian Cream CupcakesThen whip them together until totally combined. Italian Cream CupcakesThen beat in a whole bunch of sifted powdered sugar, which I am not showing because I am an airhead and neglected to take a photo of that process. But here’s what it looks like after all the powdered sugar is added! Italian Cream CupcakesAdd vanilla… Italian Cream CupcakesSome coconut… Italian Cream CupcakesAnd some finely chopped pecans. Italian Cream CupcakesThen mix it all together until it looks like this. Goodness gracious. Delicious! Italian Cream CupcakesTo make the frosting operation go faster, I used a scoop to put a dollop of icing on each cupcake… Italian Cream CupcakesThen I used an offset spatula… Italian Cream CupcakesTo spread it over the surface. Italian Cream CupcakesI kept going until all the big ones were done… Italian Cream CupcakesThen I got started on the little ones! Italian Cream CupcakesYou can use a piping bag if you’d like…but the coconut and nuts make it a pretty imperfect process, and wouldn’t you rather just smear it and be done? Italian Cream CupcakesFor a final flourish, sprinkle on some more chopped pecans. Italian Cream CupcakesDone! Italian Cream CupcakesHere are the babies. Italian Cream CupcakesAnd here are the mamas. Italian Cream CupcakesThese are totally dreamy! Perfect for a wedding shower, a birthday party…or, in my case, breakfast. Italian Cream CupcakesHere’s the handy dandy printable! Recipe Italian Cream Cupcakes Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 30 Print Recipe Ingredients CUPCAKES 5 whole Eggs, Separated 1/2 cup Butter, Softened 1 cup Vegetable Oil 1 cup Sugar 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract 1 cup Sweetened, Flaked Coconut 2 cups All-purpose Flour 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 1 cup Buttermilk Icing 2 packages (8 Ounces Each) Cream Cheese, Softened 1/2 cup Butter, Softened 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract 2 pounds Powdered Sugar 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans 1 cup Sweetened, Flaked Coconut Preparation Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin pans (regular or mini) with nonstick baking spray OR line with paper cupcake liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites they're stiff. Transfer to another bowl and set aside; clean the mixing bowl and return to the mixer. Combine the butter, vegetable oil, and sugar in the mixing bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, the beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of coconut and beat to combine. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl, then alternate adding the flour mixture with the buttermilk, mixing for a few seconds after each addition. Add the egg whites and use a rubber spatula to fold them into the batter. Add batter to the muffin cups, the bake for 13-14 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. To make the frosting, whip together the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then sift the powdered sugar and mix it in until combine. Add the vanilla and mix. Add 1 cup of coconut and the pecans, reserving a small amount of pecans for garnish. Mix until totally combined. Frost cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle extra pecans on top. Refrigerate cupcakes if not serving right away (frosting will soften at room temperature.) (Thank you, Billie, for the recipe!)
