Bake Sale Success!

This past weekend, I participated in the Food Blogger Bake Sale, supporting Share our Strenth, an organization fighting childhood hunger. It was such an inspiring event to be a part of! Not only did I meet some of Orlando’s finest food bloggers, I was able to take part in raising over $1,400 for a charity that is helping feed so many hungry children.

For the bake sale, I made Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, Cookies and Cream Cupcakes, and Toasted Coconut Cupcakes! I was thrilled that my cupcakes were a hit with the customers!
Here’s some photos from the event! Enjoy

(I hope Ricky, Chris, and Julius don't mind my fun little additions to the picture!)

The photo above shows the whole group of bloggers who participated in the bake sale. Please go check out their blogs – they all have incredible photography, recipe, and restaurant reviews.

Back row: Julius from Droolius, Angie from Eclectic Recipes, Wanda from My Sweet Zepol, Robin from Simply Southern Baking, Katie from Katie’s Cucina, Julie from The Little Kitchen, Chris from Eat Local Orlando, Ricky from Tasty Chomps.

Front row: ME!! , Marilyn from Forkful, Pearleen from Mega Yummo and Jacqueline from BeyondNFinity.

At the bakesale, getting ready for customers!

 

 

 

 

 Hope everyone is having a fabulous week. Stay tuned for more recipes and some updates from my advetures in Cupcake Wars casting for Season 7!

Stay Sweet!

xo, Jill

Coconut Pecan Frosting

Coconut Pecan Goodness!

Since I’m on this coconut kick, I decided to make German Chocolate cupcakes. And no German Chocolate cupcake is complete unless it has the traditional coconut pecan frosting. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and nutty that compliments the bitter chocolate cupcake so well.

This was my first time making this frosting, so I went to the trusted Martha Stewart cupcake book for her take on the frosting.

Here’s the recipe, with a few of my own little tweaks and notes:

Coconut Pecan Frosting

Makes enough for one 9-inch 3-layer cake (or 36 cupcakes!)

Ingredients

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar  (I used dark brown for a richer flavor and really liked the result!)
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and brought to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 2/3 cups (7 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut (Make sure you chop up the coconut. Sometimes the strings in the bag are way too long and makes for messy eating)
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (I did not toast mine, bc I think it gives a very strong pecan flavor that over powers the frosting – but it’s a matter of preference)

Directions

1. Combine egg yolks, evaporated milk, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about 10 minutes. (Should be the consistency of pudding)
2.  Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.
3. Stir in vanilla, salt, coconut, and pecans. Let cool completely. Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before using.

Enjoy this frosting on top of any chocolate dessert! Stay Sweet xoxo

Coconut Cream Cupckes

A perfect little getaway!

Coconut is the type of food that people either LOVE or HATE! I fall on the LOVE side of the argument. I love everything about coconut, from the texture, to the flavor, to the smell. I can’t get enough of it. If you are like me, then this cupcake is the perfect way to indulge in your coconut obsession. A moist coconut cupcake filled with milky coconut cream, and topped with vanilla buttercream and toasted coconut flakes. Divine!

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

Makes 2 dozen

• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 8 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.

With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.

In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture; stir in shredded coconut.

Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake 20-23 until the cupcakes are golden brown.

Coconut Cream Filling

5 tablespoons of heavy cream

1 can of cream of coconut – Blend well so the large coconut bits are dissolved

½ cup of sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup of cool whip

½ cup of cream cheese

1. In a blender, mix the cream of coconut to get rid of large coconut chunks
2. In a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, cool whip, and cream of coconut
3. Add to the mixer 5 tbs of heavy cream – beat until you get it to the desired consistency. You want it thick, but not too stiff.
4. Add is the coconut flake and beat until well mixed.
5. Put your filling in a piping bag and fill each cupcake with this yummy coconut cream

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

3 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tbs of heavy whipping cream

1. With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Mix on low until well blended.
2. Continue mixer on medium for another two minutes.
3. Add vanilla and whipping cream, beating on medium for another minute.
4. Frosting should be light and fluffy.

For toasted Coconut Flakes, simply heat your oven to 350, spread the sweetened coconut flakes out evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them though, they burn quickly! Use the toasted flakes to top your delicious cupcakes.

Share with some friends and enjoy!

Stay Sweet, xoxo

Jill

Mini Coconut Lime Cupcakes

This wonderful recipe landed in my inbox and absolutely made my day  today! If I didn’t already have plans tonight, I would head home after work and bake these immediatly! Tomorrow is Saturday though, so you can bet I will be baking up these little lime goodies! Enjoy the recipe – let me know how they turn out 🙂

Coconut Lime Cupcake – Mini Version!

Makes approx 48 mini’s and one dozen (12) regular size cupcakes

Cupcakes:

 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

 2 cups sugar

Zest of one lime

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

 1 ½ tps baking soda

 1 ½ tsp salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

¾ cup milk

The juice of one lime

¾ cup Toasted Coconut + 2 cups for garnish

 Lime mini wedges

Green food coloring

1. Preheat oven to BROIL. 
2. Line cupcake pans with liners.
3. On an ungreased cookie sheet, lay coconut spread out on sheet.  Put in the oven and broil until about 1/5 of the coconut has browned.  Move around the coconut after 30 seconds to get more even browning. Watch carefully and DO NOT OVER TOAST!!!!! It should only take a minute or two. Set aside to cool.
4. Turn oven down to 300 degrees.
5. Measure sugar into a medium bowl.
6. Prepare the sugar by working the lime zest into sugar by pressing the back of a spatula down into sugar, thus releasing the oils from the zest into the sugar.  This process should take about five minutes, and the sugar will become very fragrant.  
7. Cream the butter for 2-3 minutes using electric mixer and the paddle attachment.  Add the sugar to the butter mixture and continue creaming until fluffy.
8. While butter/sugar are creaming, in another bowl sift together flour, salt baking soda and baking powder and set aside. Sift at least twice to ensure all ingredients are combined.
9. Add eggs one at a time to butter and sugar, mixing thoroughly after each egg.
10. In a measuring cup that pours, mix together the milk, lime juice and vanilla. 
11. SLOWLY alternate adding the flour and milk mixture to the butter/sugar.  Begin and end with the flour and make sure to mix very well after each addition. Do not over mix.
12. Fold in the toasted coconut.
13. Add 6-10 drops of green food coloring and fold in until you get the desired green color you want.
14. Fill liners 1/2 full with batter.  DO NOT OVER FILL!!!
15. For Minis: Bake for 8 minutes and rotate pan 180 degrees in oven. Bake another 2-3 minutes.
16. For Regular: Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes and rotate pan 180 degrees in oven.  Bake another 3-5 minutes.
17. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to completely cool.

Lime Buttercream:  

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

 2 lbs (approx 6 cups) powdered sugar

 1/4 -1/2 cup milk

 Zest of a lime

 Juice of a lime

1 tbsp light corn syrup

Mini lime wedges 

1. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter.
2. One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar.  Between each cup, add a splash of milk.   Mix until smooth & scrape down the sides after each addition
3. Before the last cup of sugar, add the zest and juice of the lime.  Mix until smooth.
4. Add the corn syrup.
5. Add any remaining milk until you get the texture and consistency you want. 
6. Mix on high for 4-5 minutes.

To Assemble:

1. Pipe a dollop of buttercream on the cupcake.
2. Dunk the cupcake upside down in the toasted coconut.
3. Top with a small lime wedge. 

This recipe was created by Betsy Eves, author  of the blog JavaCupcake.com! Thanks Betsy for the fantastic recipe!!