South Carolina Coconut Cupcakes
These coconut cupcakes are my take on the Ultimate Coconut Cake from Charleston's Peninsula Grill. The original recipe is made up of 12 layers of cake between sheaths of custard; this recipe takes all of the same elements and shrinks them down to single servings.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 each large egg yolks
- 3 TB granulated sugar
- 1 ½ TB cornstarch
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp rum
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 ½ cups cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 TB coconut flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ¾ cups half and half
- 2 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes toasted
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut oil slightly chilled but not cold
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- ½ tsp ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Custard Filling
- In a small saucepan, bring milk to a simmer over low heat.
- Whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl.
- Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Watch it! It thickens fast.
- Scrape the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract followed by the coconut oil. Let cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least three hours.
Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cupcake pan with papers.
- In a bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, coconut oil and sugar until it’s fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until creamy, scraping down sides of the bowl as you go.
- With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. When it’s combined, add ⅓ of the half and half. Continue alternating until it’s all combined.
- Spoon batter into cupcake pan. Bake for about 15 minutes. Insert a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Let cool completely before removing from pan.
Frosting
- Beat together the butter, coconut oil and cream cheese. Gradually add the sugar followed by the vanilla.
Assembly
- To fill the cupcakes, use an apple corer to cut out a center piece of the cupcake. Fill a pastry bag (or ziploc bag with the corner cut) with the custard. Fill the holes, top them with frosting and sprinkle the toasted coconut on top.
