The time has come again where I make something that I’m not really interested in for someone else. In this case, it was my husband’s coworker’s birthday. He has a thing for german chocolate cake, something I’ve honestly never tried until I made these.
My favorite combination of chocolate and coconut was the delicious Starbuck’s creation of the summer: the mocha coconut frappucino. *drool* Did these taste like that? Not at all, but they were still quite tasty.
Before you dive into this process, I’ll advise you in advance that the filling and the frosting have to be chilled for awhile before you can use them. I somehow managed to miss that part of the recipe and found myself up past 1:00 am still piping away. Don’t let the simple cake ingredients fool you as these are the most involved cupcakes I’ve made.
Easiest way to make moist and delicious cupcakes ever: cake mix + instant pudding mix. Follow the instructions on the back of the cake mix box, but add in the instant pudding. Fill and bake the cupcakes as usual.
For the chocolate ganache frosting, mix together semi-sweet chocolate chips and heavy cream in a saucepan.
Once the chocolate is melted, transfer the cooked frosting to a bowl and add some corn syrup for shine. Toss it in the fridge for awhile.
The traditional coconut pecan frosting* contains egg yolks. Once you’ve separated the yolks from the whites, throw them into a medium saucepan over low heat.
Add in the evaporated milk, butter and brown sugar. Stir them all together until the butter is melted and they are well combined. Remove from heat and add in coconut, chopped pecans, vanilla, and salt. Once you’ve mixed them all together, transfer to a bowl and throw that in the fridge as well.
Once your cupcakes are cooled, and frostings are getting chilly, you can begin the cupcake filling process. Take a sharp knife and cut into the cupcake at a 45 degree angle. You’ll end up with a tiny cone. Remove this to fill the cupcakes, and then you’ll need to slice off the end of the cone to replace the top. Feel no shame when you pop the leftover pieces into your mouth.
After replacing the tops of the cupcakes, remove your ganache from the fridge, using an electric mixer to fluff the frosting for 2-3 minutes. Fit your piping back with your favorite tip and pipe away. Leave them plain, or top with some toasted coconut flakes.**
German Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Back to Her Roots
yields approximately 24 cupcakes
Cake Ingredients
- 1 box devil’s food cake mix
- 1 box (5.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Chocolate Ganache Ingredients
- 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup (optional)
Coconut Pecan Frosting Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks) cut into pats
- 1 12 oz can of evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of toasted pecans, chopped
- 2 cups toasted flake unsweetened coconut
I.Want.One. I love chocolate and coconut. Nobody else here does. So I don’t make them.
Dark hot chocolate with Malibu, topped with whipped cream and an almond however…yes please!
These look delicious!
They were quite delicious. Please tell me that you got your hands on the mocha coconut line-up at Starbucks over the summer?