A couple posts back, I posted about my favorite chocolate cupcake. I really love this recipe from The Stay at Home Chef, the cupcakes have the perfect amount of chocolate flavor and are super moist. I love chocolate, so this has become my to bake cupcake when I'm unsure of what to make. Instead of pairing it with regular buttercream, I started playing around with different filling and frosting because there are so many yummy flavors out there that would just compliment so well with chocolate. I've tried quite a few different combos since my discovery on this cupcake recipe, and I must say, this post on coconut is my best one yet!
I despised chocolate coconut sweets when I was young. Almond Joy was my worst enemy. I couldn't wrap my head around their chocolate coconut ratio, it was so off to me. Why would anyone like a chunk of gooey coconut flake in their mouths, with so little chocolate? But the older I get, the more I appreciate the compliment these two flavors do for each other. I still don't like Almond Joy (their 9:1 coconut:chocolate ratio still doesn't make sense to me), but I think there's delight when these two are balanced well in a dessert.
This post has two recipes - one for the ganache filling and one for the frosting. If you don't want too much coconut, you should use just the coconut frosting. If you prefer a stronger coconut flavor, definitely add in the coconut ganache. This is my second time doing filling in a cupcake, so forgive me if I sound like a newbie. During my first time filling, I wasn't sure if you needed to cover the filling with what you've cored out. I didn't think much of it and ended up eating all the cake crumbs I've cored... the ganache I used was too warm and seeped through the cake, and I had to fill the holes with frosting and it just became frosting filled cupcakes. 🙊 Regarding tools to core, I didn't use any special tools like the cupcake corer or apple corer. I simply used a knife and I thought it worked fine, cause I got to control the size of the hole.
I found the ganache recipe on Lake Champlain Chocolates. This recipe only requires 3 ingredients - white chocolate, coconut milk, and shredded coconuts. No, I did not use the actual Lake Champlain white chocolate. I don't even know where I would get that haha. I just used Nestle white chocolate chips and I thought the ganache tasted delicious. I'm not crazy picky when it comes to the quality of chocolate especially when it's in such small quantity. If you're doing truffle, however, then I think you should go for a higher quality brand. For a filling, I think your regular white chocolate chips will work just fine. I really love this ganache, it has sucha silky texture and taste to it. I was obsessed!
As for the frosting recipe, I found it on Baked by an Introvert. It is very similar to your regular buttercream frosting, with some coconut milk added. The entire process from baking, to filling, to frosting could take a whole day. To save time, I suggest begin making the ganache when the cupcakes are cooling. Once the cupcakes have cooled, core them and make the frosting in between cupcake/ganache cooling time. Don't eat all the crumbs like I did! Haha.
Please let me know your thoughts on chocolate + coconut combo! As well as other chocolate combo flavor you like! Would love to get some new ideas :)
Thank you for reading and happy eating! - Michelle
White Chocolate Coconut Ganache
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 35-45 minutes
Total Time: ~1 hr
Servings: filling for 18-20 cupcakes
Source: Lake Champlain Chocolates
Ingredients:
- 16 oz white chocolate
- 6 oz coconut milk
- 8 oz shredded, sweet coconut
Instructions:
1. Melt chocolate using a double boiler.
2. Set aside and let cool to 90 degrees.
3. Add coconut milk and mix well.
4. Set mixture aside to let it set up. Do not refrigerate.
5. Once set, warm the mixture using a double boiler.
6. Beat mixture until smooth and creamy
7. Add shredded coconut.
Coconut Frosting
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Source: Baked by an Introvert
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 4-5 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4-6 Tbsp coconut milk
Instructions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add confectioners' sugar slowly.
3. Add salt and coconut milk.
4. Taste and adjust texture and flavor as you see fit.
