Hi Nibblers!
Sometimes I have days where I can’t decide if I want sweet, sour or savoury food. This happens particularly after a break somewhere. I recently just came back from a week in the beautiful Nha Trang, Vietnam and was spoilt with amazing food, beaches and sunshine. After indulging in food, it takes me a few days to get back into the swing of healthy eating. So what happens instead is I crave all sorts of flavours and that’s how this recipe was born. I loved the sweetness of chocolate, texture of the coconut and tart taste of lemon, perfect for those of us with all sorts of cravings!
How To: Chocolate, Coconut Lemon Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
What you’ll need:
For cupcake:
– 180g of plain flour (sifted)
-2 tsp. baking powder
– 60g cocoa powder (sifted)
– 150g sugar
– 50g unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
– 2 eggs
– 50mL milk
– 1 tsp. vanilla essence
– 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
– 2 tsp. lemon zest (From 1 medium lemon – set aside zest and juice for batter and buttercream)
– 3 Tbs. lemon juice
For buttercream:
– 250mL unsalted butter (softened)
– 1 tsp. vanilla essence
– 100g icing sugar (sifted)
– 1 tsp. lemon zest
– 2 tsp. lemon juice
– 1.5 Tbs desiccated coconut (optional) – toasted
How To: Cupcake component
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 360 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line cupcake tin with cupcake liners OR lightly spray with oil then set aside
3. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well mixed
5. Add vanilla essence
6. Add half the cocoa and flour mix with half the milk and beat until well incorporated
7. Add second half of cocoa, flour and milk and mix well
8. Combine remaining ingredients – lemon zest, coconut and lemon juice to batter and mix for a further 3 minutes until well combined
9. Equally divide batter into cupcake tin
10. Pop cupcakes into oven for 16 minutes or until cooked – check with a skewer to ensure batter id cooked
11. Set aside to cool before decorating
Buttercream component:
1. Beat softened butter on high speed for approx. 5 minutes until butter turns from yellow to an off-white colour
2. Add vanilla essence, lemon zest and icing sugar and beat until well incorporated – a further 5 minutes
3. Add lemon juice and combine for a further 2 minutes
Note: If you prefer a more dense buttercream, add 1 Tbs of icing sugar at a time until desired texture
For a more liquid form of buttercream, add 1 Tbs. of milk until desired texture
4. * Optional: In a pan, add desiccated coconut and stir until lightly golden brown then remove from pan to set aside until needed
5. Decorate away as per your wish – I used the toasted coconut to sprinkle over the cupcakes
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and give it a go! Do leave a comment below if you do or if you would simply like to request some recipe ideas. My trip to Vietnam was amazing but I am glad I’m home – you do tire from eating everything on sight after a week or so! The lovely humidity of Nha Trang was great but I’m back in Sydney still in the Winter months. But the days are definitely warming up. I can’t wait for Spring! There won’t be too much to complain about then and who knows, if anyone does give me lemons, at least I’ll know what to do with them 🙂
Nibble Away,
Jo
Nibble Nation 