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| Coconut-pecan frosted almond cupcakes |
I like my cupcakes frosted but not with "masses" of frosting.
This recipe is perfect for adding just a bit of sweetness without being too much as it cannot be piped, so it sort of smothers and runs down the sides.
The secret to balancing the sweetness of frosted cakes is to cut the sugar in the basic recipe (basic recipe of 2 cups flour) by 1/4, then add an extra egg yolk (or half a beaten egg) 1/4 cup more flour, and an extra 1/2 tsp baking powder (the reason is that sugar is beaten to increase air into the cake and also turns to liquid when eggs/milk are added)
Many cupcake stores don't do this and you are left with a very sweet and sickly concoction that ends up getting thrown away of left on someones plate.
The American palette is very sweet as compared to the rest of the world, I prefer semi-sweet.
This cannot be used to frost the sides of a cake, but is wonderful as a filling for cake layers and topping.
1 cup evaporated milk or cream
1 cup light brown sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup unsalted butter
Add to a heavy bottomed pan and cook over medium heat (do not boil, or it will crack & scorch), until thickened approx 12 mins.
Stay with it don't wander off.
Remove from heat
Add:
1 1/3 cups shredded/flaked coconut (sweetened or not is your choice, sometimes I like mine toasted as it brings out the flavor..heat in a dry skillet and stir constantly to just lightly color the shreds)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 tsp vanilla extract.
beat until thick enough to spread.
This may be kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, tightly covered. Remove from cold and allow to get to room temp to spread.
This is also great on pumpkin and sweet potato pies just before serving.
Variation try also toasting the chopped pecans, before adding, for extra flavor in the frosting.
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