Coconut Passion Fruit Cupcakes

It's that time of year again when I start thinking about the United Way bake sale that takes place at my husbands office.  It may not be until October, but with the daycare I have so little free time that I have to grab any chance I get to try out new recipes.  I have had my eye on these passion fruit cupcakes from Hungry Rabbit for a while.  I knew I wanted to make them full size cupcakes with a frosting so I changed the original recipe a little.  I made 3 or 4 different cupcakes for Randal to take to work that day as round one of our cupcake testing and I am pretty sure that these were the most popular by far!

Coconut cupcakes
1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
6  tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake tin with liners.

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. 

Heat coconut milk and butter in a small pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine eggs and sugar, beat for 2 - 3 minutes.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix just to combine.  Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Coconut cream
1 cup coconut milk, divided
1-1/2 tbsp cornstarch
6 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp coconut extract

Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Combine remaining 3/4 cup of coconut milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan; bring to boil and remove from heat.
Beat egg, then egg yolks into cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/2 of boiling coconut milk into egg mixture, whisk constantly. Return the remaining coconut milk to a boil; pour in hot egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly.
Continue whisking until cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and extracts until fully combined. Pour cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate immediately until cold, at least 1 hour.

Coconut swiss meringue buttercream
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 large egg whites
1 cup + 2 tbsp of sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
pinch of salt

To make the frosting, put a few inches of water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Put the egg whites, sugar and salt into a bowl that will fit over the pan of water and whisk until it reaches 150 degrees and the sugar has all melted. Transfer mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on medium speed until the bowl feels cold (this can take up to 10 minutes) add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, finally beat in the vanilla and coconut extracts.

White chocolate passion fruit glaze
1/2 cup passion fruit pureé
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp light corn syrup

 In a samll pan bring passion fruit puree to a simmer.. Remove from heat, add white chocolate and corn syrup. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let cool.

To assemble cupcakes, using the cone method fill the center of each cupcake with the coconut cream.  Frost with the coconut swiss meringue buttercream, top with the passion fruit glaze.