COCONUT CUPCAKES WITH FILLING RECIPES

Steps:

• For the Lemon Coconut CakePreheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 8×2 inch round pans. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest for 30 seconds. Set aside In another bowl, add the buttermilk, oil and lemon extract and lemon juice.  Set aside.. In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of liquid). Do not mix above medium speed or over mix the cake batter. Fold in the shredded coconut. Divide batter between three prepared 8 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs attached. Let cool 10 minutes and turn out. For the Lemon Curd FillingCombine sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (3-4 minutes). Boil, stirring, for 1 minute more.. Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into a small bowl with egg yolks and stir quickly until combined. Continue stirring, while pouring the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring, until the curd is thickened and lemon colored (1-2 min). Remove from heat and stir in the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest.-- Let the lemon curd cool, then press plastic wrap onto the surface, this will prevent a skin from forming on the top. Refrigerate. This will fill a 2-3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake with some leftover. The recipe can be halved. (I have refrigerated the lemon curd for a week and it was fine....I'm not sure how long it will keep beyond that. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.) For the Coconut Whipped Cream Cheese Filling and FrostingFreeze your mixing bowl and beaters 15 minutes before whipping the cream (30 minutes if chilling in the refrigerator.  Use the whisk attachment for a stand mixer, beaters on your hand mixer.  Beat the cream until stiff peaks form.  This can happen very quickly so don't walk away from the mixer.  You are at the stiff peak stage when you lift the beater and the cream stands straight up forming a peak. Keep in the refrigerator while completing the next step.   In another bowl combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and extracts.  Beat until very smooth.  Fold the whipped cream into this mixture. Cover and refrigerate.  If you are piping this frosting and it becomes too soft, just refrigerate the filled piping bag for a short while.   Assembling the CakePlace the first cake layer on the pedestal or cake base. Spread with lemon curd (stopping about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the edge of the cake layer. Spread the curd with a layer of the whipped cream cheese frosting. Repeat steps for the next layer, and top with the third layer. *I had enough lemon curd leftover to spread the top with lemon curd as well. Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with frosting- I do this by loading the frosting into a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away. This step helps to keep the filling contained. (Normally I would pipe a dam of buttercream when working with soft fillings but we aren't working with buttercream today. This is why it's a good idea not to take the filling all the way to the edge of the cake.). Frost around the sides of the cake with the coconut whipped cream cheese frosting. Press coconut into the sides. Lemon curd is on top of the cake and I'm leaving that exposed. I piped a border using a 2D piping tip with the remaining frosting.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with shortening; lightly flour. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate with water over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool.
• In large bowl, beat 2 cups sugar and 1 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating and scraping well after each addition. Beat in chocolate mixture. On low speed, beat in remaining cake ingredients until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter evenly into pans.
• Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; place on wire racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In 2-quart saucepan, cook 1 cup sugar, the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup butter and 3 eggs over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Place 1 cake layer, top side down, on serving plate. Spread with 1/3 of frosting. Repeat with remaining cake layers and frosting, ending with frosting.