Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting

I found this really cute plate the other day for 2 dollars! I love finding cute plates for cheap prices.

I was thinking of a cupcake that I could make to round out my other treats and I remembered this picture.
Doesn't that frosting look perfect? I was so curious about these cupcakes that I had to throw them into the mix.
The secret ingredient here is reduced coconut milk. You bring coconut milk to a boil and then let it reduce on the stove until it becomes thick and syrup-like.
The reduced coconut milk is added to the cupcake batter and also the frosting.
I don't usually sample things when I am baking, as strange as that may sound, but I did take a little nibble of this cupcake and it was really good. Very moist.
I also tasted a little bit of the cupcake with the frosting- I think they went together well and complimented each other, but the frosting was a tad bit on the sweet side.

I was a little bit disappointed because the frosting didn't look as good as in the picture. I think the butter for the frosting was too soft which led to a very soft frosting that was difficult to pipe and keep its shape. A few hours in the fridge helped, but they didn't turn out looking as good as I wanted them too.

The cupcakes and frosting also had those fun little flecks that you get when you use a vanilla bean. I just love how that looks and the flavor it adds is amazing.

These were also well liked as I had no leftovers to bring home. If you like coconut-you should try these!

Recipe for Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting


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