Cupcakes for Any Simple Celebration

This cupcake recipe is very versatile.  You can use food coloring to color the icing for any simple celebration – birthday party, baby shower, bridal shower, or holiday gathering.  The cupcakes pictured were made for a baby shower.

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Cupcakes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 20

Equipment

• Muffin tin

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients

• 2 13 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk for use in icing also
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp orange zest
• seeds from one vanilla bean

Icing Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups powderd sugar
• 1 cup butter room temperature
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/3 cup reduced coconut milk from cupcake recipe
• pinch salt
• food coloring optional

Instructions

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350°. 
• Place baking paper or foil cups (18-20) in muffin tins.
• Boil the coconut milk in a heavy sauce pan.  Reduce the heat to low and boil until the milk is reduced to 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 c.  This will take up to 45 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
• Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. 
• Beat butter with a mixer until fluffy. 
• Add sugar and beat for 2 minutes. 
• Add eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth. 
• Add vanilla beans and orange zest.
• Add half the dry ingredients and 1 cup of reduced coconut milk and beat until just mixed. 
• Add the remaining dry ingredients - do not over beat. 
• Distribute the batter into muffin cups.
• Bake 15-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10-15 minutes on a rack then remove from tin and finish cooling.

Icing

• Beat butter until fluffy.
• Add rest of ingredients and beat on medium until icing is smooth.
• Add food coloring a few drops at a time until desired color is achieved.