I wanted to make some cupcakes and was flipping through my cookbooks for ideas when I came across a recipe for chocolaty coconut cupcakes with a coffee frosting. I loved the idea of a coffee frosting, so I decided to give it a go! I added some Frangelico to the batter and frosting for a nice hazelnut touch and the combination of flavours ended up being perfect!
The cupcake is moist, chocolaty with a touch of hazelnut flavour and a flaky texture thanks to the coconut flakes. The fluffy buttercream frosting is also quite amazing: it has a deep coffee flavour and you can definitely taste the Frangelico, which complements the coffee flavour perfectly (hello hazelnut coffee!). While I don’t usually have a sweet tooth (I always share my sweet treats), I ended up eating a lot more of these cupcakes than I usually do when I make some!
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup Frangelico liquor
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery spread, softened
- 2 tbsp Frangelico liquor
- 1 3/4 tsp coffee extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups icing sugar
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt with a whisk.
- In a separate bowl, beat together Frangelico, coconut milk, sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer. Mix in melted coconut oil.
- Add the flour mixture in batches, beating well after each addition. Mix until smooth, then stir in shredded coconut.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
- Using a hand mixer, beat earth balance with Frangelico, coffee extract and vanilla extract.
- Add the icing sugar in batches, beating well after each addition.
- When all the icing sugar is incorporated, beat on high speed for an additional 5 minutes.
- For soy-free cupcakes, use soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread.
- I used a 1M decorating tip and pipped the frosting starting from the center. I used cacao nibs and toasted coconut flakes for decoration.
Omg these look amazing! I’m not a huge cupcake person, but this combo sounds like heaven 🙂