Coconut Cupcakes

A white cake recipe with a coconut twist. I had some coconut in my fridge that needed to be used, and this is what I came up with. If you want a more intense coconut flavor, add a teaspoon or two of coconut extract. Try putting your coconut in a food processor or blender if you prefer a smoother-textured cupcake. This is the first recipe I’ve come up with on my own, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Original recipe makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
1 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

PREP

20 mins
COOK

20 mins
READY IN

40 mins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners.
Mix sugar, applesauce, and butter together in a bowl.
Beat egg whites in a glass or metal bowl until medium peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the tip of the peak formed by the egg whites should curl over slightly.
Stir egg yolks and vanilla extract into applesauce mixture; fold in egg whites. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Beat coconut milk into batter until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in shredded coconut for about 30 seconds. Pour batter into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.