Auntie Em's Coconut Cupcakes

These are billowy, irresistible coconut cupcakes with a coconut cream cheese frosting. Just the thing to have when you really need a coconut fix. The recipe is adapted from Auntie Em's, (auntieemskitchen.com) a hundred year old restaurant located in the Eagle Rock community of Los Angeles. It features home cooking.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 18
• Yields: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄3 cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  cup  vegetable oil
• 1  cup buttermilk
• 3  eggs
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2  teaspoons  almond extract
• 1 1⁄3 cups sugar
• 1 3⁄4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

• FROSTING

• 1⁄2 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
• 5⁄8 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 1⁄3 cups powdered sugar (iceing sugar)
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1⁄2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

1. MUFFINS:
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
4. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar.
5. On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until smooth, careful not to overmix.
6. Gently fold in the coconut.
7. Place 18 paper muffin-tin-liners into muffin-tin cups (or grease the cups with butter).
8. Fill each cup with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, so that it comes 3/4 th's up the side of each cup.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a wood pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Remove the cupcakes to a rack and allow to cool completely.
11. FROSTING.
12. Beat the cream cheese on low speed until smooth, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
13. Add the butter and continue mixing on medium speed until smooth.
14. Scrape down the bowl again.
15. Add the powdered sugar in three additions at low speed, after each addition scrape down the bowl again.
16. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
17. Frost each cupcakes with 3 teaspoon frosting and sprinkle with shredded
18. coconut.
19. The cupcakes will keep for about 3 days.