Yup. ANOTHER cupcake recipe. If you think that’s ridiculous, you’re gonna laugh at what I have planned for Friday. This recipe has been stored in my Evernote for forever, but I keep seeing the photos pop up on Facebook. I think it’s a not-so-subtle hint that I should probably make them.
Start with 1 1/2 cups blanched slivered almonds (I used flaked) and mix them with 2 cups dessicated unsweetened coconut in a bowl. Set that aside for now.
Toast a wee pinch of the coconut and almonds (I popped mine in the toaster oven) and set that aside as well.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a standard muffin tin with cups. I like how cheery these are.
In another bowl, whisk together 2 cups cake flour, 1 cup cocoa, and 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
In yet ANOTHER bowl, ideally the one in your electric mixer, cream together 3/4 room temperature butter, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar for about 3 minutes until pale and cohesive.
Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time. Ideally they are also room temperature. Pour in 3 teaspoons vanilla while you’re at it.
Now you can start adding your flour mixture in, alternating with 1 1/2 cup buttermilk until it’s all smooth and combined.
Then you can fold in all your almonds and coconut.
Scoop the batter into your cupcake cups until they’re’ about 3/4 full. Now, the recipe didn’t tell me how many this made and so I assumed that it was only 12.
I WAS WRONG. AND I WAS OUT OF CUPCAKE LINERS. So I used the last four I had, then put the rest of the batter in a disposable loaf pan. I figured it’d make a nice cake to freeze.
Anyway, bake your enormous number of cupcakes for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre cupcake comes out clean, then you can let them cool completely on a wire rack.
The Nanaimo-bar-y-ness of the icing comes from using custard powder. The custard is what makes a Nanaimo bar a Nanaimo bar. Nah-NYE-mo bar. I love the word Nanaimo. I may have a problem.
Right. Icing. That’s what we were doing.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together 1 cup room temperature butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 4 cups icing sugar, and 4 tablespoons custard powder.
When that’s all combined, pour in as well about 3/4 cup whipping cream for smoothness.
There, that’s lovely.
Pipe it onto your cupcakes, and then sprinkle with the toasted almonds and coconut. That’s it.
Then you eat it and then it’s gone. So satisfying.