Raspberry & Coconut and Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

So last weekend I had an order for some cupcakes for a 50th birthday celebration.  They wanted enough cupcakes to be able to make them into a 5 and a 0.  It was a bit daunting because they gave me free reign over which colours/flavours to make! I always prefer having a specification to work to as you never know peoples likes/dislikes! 

I had been dreaming up a coconut and raspberry concoction for quite a while, to me it seems like a good pairing but after much googling I found it's pretty non-existent in the cupcake world! I decided to use the coconut recipe from Primrose Bakery and then I just made a raspberry coulis I swirled through the batter. Raspberries are my new favourite fruit and I loved how vibrant the colour was after I blitzed them up in the blender!  

I just wanted to drink this straight from the jug but I refrained! These are my fun heart measuring cups!

I frosted these with coconut buttercream, nice and high, but unfortunately when I put the raspberry on top the frosting squashed down a little so here they are pre raspberry:

And here is the finished product with shredded coconut and raspberries to top it off

My Chocolate Mint creations didn't quite go to plan! I decided to try out a recipe I'd found online and I really wasn't pleased with the results! They just weren't as chocolate-y as I'd hoped they would be.  So I had to bake a whole new batch and this time I used a good old Martha recipe which didn't let me down (I don't know why I didn't do this to begin with!) I then frosted them with swiss meringue buttercream (which was supposed to be tinted green but my gel colourings just weren't bonding with the frosting at all!) so I gave up on the tinting and just added a sprinkling of green sanding sugar and an after eight to top it off.

Coconut & Raspberry Cupcakes:

Makes 12 cupcakes

110g unsalted butter, at room temperature

180g caster sugar

2 large eggs, free range

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

125g self raising flour

120g plain flour

125ml coconut milk

25g desiccated coconut

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl which should take about 3-5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated.  Add the vanilla.

Combine the two flours in a separate bowl.  Add 1/3 of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat well.  Pour in 1/3 of the coconut milk and beat again.  Repeat these steps until all the flours and coconut milk have been added.

Fold in the desiccated coconut using a spoon

Raspberry Coulis:

Recipe from here

200g fresh raspberries

75g icing sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

Put the raspberries in a blender.  

Add the sieved sugar and lemon juice.

Whizz it all up and have a taste, if it's too sour add a little more sugar, if it's too sweet add a little more lemon juice.

The final but very important step is push the coulis through a sieve, this removes the seeds and makes it nice and smooth.  

Once the coulis was made I poured it into the cupcake batter and swirled it through in a marble pattern with a knife.  

Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes.  Insert a toothpick into the cakes and if it comes out clean and crumb free they are ready.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whip up some...

Coconut Frosting:

1 stick/113g unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk

Beat butter until smooth and creamy.

Add sugar and milk and beat until a spreadable consistency.  Add additional sugar, up to one cup if you require stiffer frosting for piping.

Top each cupcake with shredded coconut and a fresh raspberry.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes:

Makes 18 Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

3/4 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together all the dry ingredients.  Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, extract and the water.  Beat on low speed until smooth and combined, remembering to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Frost with...

Mint Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 sticks/452g unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons (room temperature)

1 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract

Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer set over a pan of simmering water.  Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved.

Attach the bowl to the mixer with the whisk attachment.  Start on slow, and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form.  Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy and completely cool...about 10 minutes.

With mixer on medium low speed, add the butter a few tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Once all butter has been added, whisk in peppermint extract.  Switch to the paddle attachment and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down sides of bowl and continue beating until frosting is completely smooth.

Top each cupcake with a single After Eight mint and a sprinkling of green sanding sugar.