Cardamom Vanilla Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep 10 mins Bake 20 mins Cool 10 mins Frost & Decorate 15 mins Eat 55 mins
We made these Cardamom Vanilla Cupcakes at our Get Dinner on the Table…in a Flash cooking class and they can indeed be made in a Flash. Mix up the batter in a few minutes. Scoop them into muffin cups and into the oven for only 20 minutes. While they are baking, you can mix together a quick and easy cream cheese frosting and top them with grated coconut. An indulgent and beautiful treat in less than an hour.
Cardamom Vanilla Cupcakes bake in only 20 minutes.
We’ve all made cupcakes, probably one of the first cooking/baking projects you may have done. It’s child’s play. Forget the box mix. It’s easy to mix together the nine ingredients you will need, which are probably in your kitchen already and scoop them into muffin cups. The secret to a tender moist cupcake is don’t overmix. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients JUST UNTIL BLENDED AND NO MORE.
Cardamom is the surprising ingredient in these cupcakes.
these cupcakes have a surprising flavor in them – ground cardamom. Cardamom is often found in Indian sweets and savory dishes. It’s new to many of us. But I think you are going to fall in love with it. I ground the whole pods in a coffee grinder. It is very powerful when freshly ground, so you might want slightly less of it in your cupcakes – just sayin. I grind up plenty of them and keep in a spice jar for future use.
By far, my favorite frosting to make is a cream cheese frosting. It’s not only delicious, but foolproof. All you need to do is let the cream cheese and butter come to room temperature and then mix in some powdered sugar and vanilla and you are happy happy.
Fresh grated coconut makes a big taste difference.
Another great twist on these cupcakes is the fresh grated coconut. I’ve written about this ingredient before, but I can’t get enough. (See Coconut Cake recipe.) The peeled fresh coconut hearts from Melissa’s Produce takes all the work out of working with fresh coconut. Just place the slices in a food processor with a the grating disk and within a minute, you have freshly grated coconut. It may be hard to find, but if you do, you will be doubly happy. The fresh coconut is nothing like the stuff in the package. It’s moist, nutty and fresh. You may notice it is not sweet, but when you press it into the cream cheese frosting, the sweet and moist and nutty combination gives you a heavenly flavor punch that is dreamy. I’ve seen fresh coconut already grated in the freezer section at an Asian supermarket too.
These Vanilla Cardamom cupcakes are so pretty and delicious!
Make these Cardamom-Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Coconut and Cream Cheese Frosting for a sweet indulgence or for a birthday or dinner party. When we made them in class, we got all whimsical with some edible* flowers and strawberries. We used orange and yellow nasturtiums and blue borage flowers. Feel free to decorate your cupcakes to fit your personality or occasion. *Never put flowers on the cupcakes that aren’t edible.
Cardamom Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Coconut and Cream Cheese Frosting
2 3/4 cups + all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
3 cups Fresh grated coconut
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 24 paper liners in muffin tins.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well until combined. Mix in milk, cardamom and vanilla.
4. Mix in flour mixture just until blended and no more.
5. Scoop batter into lined muffin tins. Bake in 350° preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely.
6. While cupcakes are baking, grate fresh coconut in a food processor with grating disk. Place on a plate and set aside.
7. In a clean bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in powdered sugar. Add in vanilla and salt. Mix until fluffy. Set aside.
8. When cupcakes are cool, use a knife or offset spatula to frost each cake with the cream cheese frosting. Dip each cupcake into the coconut as it presses into the frosting.
Servings: 24 – 313 calories per serving
Cardamom Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Coconut and Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups + all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
- 3 cups Fresh grated coconut
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Place 24 paper liners in muffin tins.
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well until combined. Mix in milk, cardamom and vanilla.
- Mix in flour mixture just until blended and no more.
- Scoop batter into lined muffin tins. Bake in 350° preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely.
- While cupcakes are baking, grate fresh coconut in a food processor with grating disk. Place on a plate and set aside.
- In a clean bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in powdered sugar. Add in vanilla and salt. Mix until fluffy. Set aside.
- When cupcakes are cool, use a knife or offset spatula to frost each cake with the cream cheese frosting. Dip each cupcake into the coconut as it presses into the frosting.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
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