"Eat coconuts while you have teeth."-Sinhalese proverb
While growing up, my grandmother laid the foundations for two things I still cling to today:
-An extreme devotion to her coconut cake
-An irrational fear of toothpicks
Whenever we came to visit her, she would always present us with a deliciously exquisite coconut cake, followed by a single warning to watch out for any stray toothpicks. A little baking lesson: these potentially fatal toothpicks were used to determine if the cake had set up. Yet, there was always some uncertainty regarding the complete removal of these toothpicks from the cake. While my fear of stray toothpicks remain, Grandma's coconut cake recipe is getting an update--in the form of our second Eastern flavor inspired baked treat--coconut cupcakes.
In tropical Asia, coconuts are eaten at different stages of ripeness and are used in curries, soups and just like in the West, deserts, which just happens to be one of our favorite uses.The recipe for the coconut cake has been slightly modified so that all of the soul of Grandma's delicious cake can be enjoyed as cupcakes...with absolutely no toothpicks.
Prep time: 10 minutes; Baking time: 15-20 minutes; Makes 24
For the cupcakes:
1 box of white cake mix (with all ingredients necessary to make the cake)
1 can cream of coconut
For the icing:
1 8oz container of Cool Whip
1 cup coconut (sweetened)
3 tablespoons cream of coconut
Bake the cupcakes as directed. While the cupcakes are baking, reserve three tablespoons of the cream of coconut and mix together with the Cool Whip and coconut. Place the icing in the refrigerator.
Once the cupcakes have finished baking, remove them from the oven. While hot, pierce each cupcake three times with a fork. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the remaining cream of coconut over the cupcakes using a pastry brush. Repeat several times to allow the cream of coconut to soak into the cupcakes. Allow the cupcakes to cool and then top with the icing mixture. Garnish with toasted coconut if desired.
-RW
Hahahaha my grandmother did the toothpick thing too.
Posted by: C-note | July 30, 2008 at 05:39 PM