Coconut Lime Chocolate Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the first time I'm entering a baking contest! Coconut & Lime is celebrating their fifth anniversary and holding a baking contest in honor of the occasion.  Wish me luck! The challenge is to make an original recipe using the ingredients of coconut and lime.  I'm excited, very excited.  Let's hope for the best.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup coffee

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon imitation coconut extract

zest of two limes (and an addition lime to zest on top of the frosting)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1-eight oz package of cream cheese

1 stick of butter

1 pound of powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of one lime

1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1. preheat oven to 350

2. sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

3. to the flour mixture add the eggs, oil, coffee, coconut milk, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and lime zest

4. blend until well combined (it's okay if there are a few flour bubbles, these will go away if you let it sit for a bit)

5. in a lined cupcake tin, fill up the cups with batter about 3/4 full

6. bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes

7. take out of oven and let cool

8. while the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting

Frosting

1. cream the butter and the cream cheese until smooth

2. add powdered sugar and vanilla extract

3. ice the cupcakes generously and then top with a sprinkling of coconut flakes and a little lime zest

 

yield: about 28 cupcakes