Lemon-filled Coconut Cupcakes
I own a lot of cookbooks. I have several from Ina Garten, a couple from Dorie Greenspan, a few from Carla Snyder along with several cocktail books. I use them all frequently but my favorite books are the ones that have several dessert recipes. See, I have a huge sweet tooth, so anything that includes a cookie, pie or brownie recipe has my name written all over it.
Snyder’s Sweet and Tart cookbook has several dessert recipes. As a matter of fact, two-thirds of the book are recipes for pies, bars, cakes and cookies all of them using lemons, limes or oranges. I love lemons, limes and oranges, so you can see why I’m such a big fan of this cookbook. I’ve used it a few times and every recipe comes out great, which is why if I’m in the mood for something sweet and citrusy, I immediately go for Sweet and Tart.
So far I’ve made Snyder’s delicious Lemon Blackberry scones, her lemon and lime curds and recently, these scrumptious cupcakes. What makes these cupcakes so special is the coconut. See, there’s not just coconut milk and coconut extract in the cakes, there’s also shredded, toasted coconut sprinkled on top. And while coconut cupcakes would be amazing all on their own, Snyder goes one step further: she hollows out the center and pipes in thick, rich lemon curd. It’s that lemon curd that makes these cupcakes a little more special than your average cupcake. But that extra-specialness means extra effort.
See, normally you can just make a cupcake in whatever flavor you like and top it with some delectable, sweet and creamy frosting. But to make these cupcakes you not only need to make the cupcakes themselves, you need to make lemon curd, hollow out the center of each cake and pipe it in. Yes, there’s an extra step or two, but when you bite into that moist coconut cake, you get a tart burst of lemon that sends a shock through the system. An amazingly wonderful shock that you get to repeat with every bite.
Notes
Adapted from Carla Snyder's Sweet and Tart
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, divided
- 9 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks, divided
- 2 cups pastry flour
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup light unsweetened coconut milk
- 1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Make the lemon curd:
- Combine the lemon juice, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk 5 eggs, the egg yolks and a pinch of salt together in a medium bowl until combined. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot lemon juice mixture. Return the whole mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 - 3 minutes. Do not let it boil, otherwise the eggs will curdle. The lemon curd should coat the back of the spoon. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Transfer the lemon curd to a heat-proof bowl and stir in the lemon zest. Continue stirring for another minute and set aside to cool.
Make the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cups.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Beat 1 stick of butter and the remaining sugar in a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the coconut extract, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and the remaining eggs, one at a time.
- Turn the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the coconut milk, beginning and ending with the flour, then beat on medium until smooth another 1 minute.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top. Bake for 20 minutes - 25 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed on lightly. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Spread the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes, stir the coconut and bake for another 1-2 minutes or until golden. Transfer the coconut to a bowl and set aside.
- While the cupcakes cool, beat the powdered sugar, milk and remaining butter and vanilla in a mixer until light and fluffy. Set aside.
- Remove a cone-shaped section from the top and center of each cupcake by using a cupcake corer and save the pieces that you remove. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, fill the cupcakes with the prepared lemon curd. Cut the bottoms from the reserved cone-shaped sections and fit the tops back into each cupcake.
- Frost the cupcakes generously, and immediately dip the tops into the cooled coconut, pressing gently to help it adhere. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.
