Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-White Chocolate Frosting

If you want to "have your cupcake and eat it too," just try this delicious recipe for Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-White Chocolate Frosting. Baking from scratch never tasted so incredibly good!

Cupcakes:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
½ tsp coconut extract or vanilla extract
¾ cup light coconut milk (not cream of coconut)

Coconut-White Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup (6 oz) white chocolate baking chips
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
½ tsp coconut extract
2½ cups confectioners' sugar
Garnish: sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Directions:
1. Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt until blended; stir in coconut.
3. In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until blended. Beat in coconut extract.
4. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and coconut milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended.
5. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 20 to 23 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
6. Frosting: Melt white baking chips in a small glass bowl in microwave as package directs. Beat butter, cream cheese and coconut extract in large bowl with electric mixer until creamed and blended. Beat in melted white chocolate until blended. On low speed, gradually beat in confectioners' sugar.
7. Spread 2 Tbsp frosting onto each cupcake; sprinkle tops with toasted coconut.

(Makes 24 Cupcakes.)