Oh, the weather outside is frightful…

Perhaps it’s my psychology roots or my need to rationalize any feeling of sadness, but no matter the reason, I’m a firm believer in seasonal affective disorder. If the rain is a-pouring and the cold is a-biting, well, chances are my dour mood can be blamed on Mother Nature. Now, don’t get me wrong: cold, crisp days of fall with their honey-colored leaves and firewood scent, these days are something to be relished. But, the rain changes everything!


It's been raining for a few days straight now, so I decided I needed a tropical getaway. Tropical means coconut, in my book. Hence, these coconut cupcakes with white chocolate and coconut streusel! The streusel sandwiches the cupcake batter, forming a crust on the bottom and a nice crispy bite on the top. The cake itself is delicate and fluffy, with strong vanilla and coconut flavors. It’s a perfect cupcake for a rainy day (or really any day, for that matter)!

Streusel Crumb

½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup AP flour
¼ cup pecan halves
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup coconut shreds
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup cold butter, cubed

In food processor, pulse ingredients until they resemble a moist crumb. Store crumb in refrigerator until ready to use.

Coconut Cupcakes

(adapted from Baked)

2 cups cake flour, spooned and swept
½ cup AP flour
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
6 TBS butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup cold coconut milk
2 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup coconut shreds, ground in food processor

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line 18 muffin cups. Make streusel.

2. Sift flours, powder, soda, and salt together. Set aside.

3. Beat butter and shortening for approximately 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in sugar and vanilla, beating 3 minutes. Beat in egg until just combined.

4. Alternate between flour mixture and coconut milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat in until just incorporated.

5. Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until egg whites form soft peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter. Then, fold in ground coconut.

6. Place 1 TBS of streusel mixture in the bottom of each muffin cup. Fill each cup with batter, about ¾ full, making sure to spread batter with knife so that it completely covers the streusel bottom. Top each cupcake with 1 TBS of streusel. (You will have extra batter left over.)

7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

(*I baked remaining batter in a loaf pan for about 30 minutes. I topped it with shredded coconut and white chocolate chips.)