Mingled in with the excitement of packing and moving to a new and unknown place, all the way across the country, I guess I was feeling a little bit sad this morning that these were to be my last days in the house I grew up in. Everything is taking on an air of "the last time I'll ever". So it was with a dash of homesickness, a pinch wistfulness and a smidgen of expectancy that I made what will be my last dessert in this house.
My step mom brought in one of the last over sized zucchini from the garden yesterday and asked if I could make some zucchini bread with it. Having just made two loaves a couple of weeks ago, I needed to mix it up just a bit. I also had some shredded coconut I wanted to use up before we left and a block of yummy farm fresh cream cheese from our coop. Bingo! Zucchini Coconut Cupcakes!
I adapted Mom's Zucchini Bread from Allrecipes.com (I LOVE allrecipes.com) and found a recipe for Cream Cheese Coconut Frosting which I used as I found it. Wow. So yep, I chose the hottest day of the year for my suburban New York baking swan song. The kitchen was so hot even with the A/C on that the frosting started to slide off the cooled cupcakes. I had planned to pipe it on - but I'd already packed my pastry bags and tubes. So I slathered it on with a spatula. Anthony didn't seem to mind and declared the frosting a "winner"!
They're delicious and I think that all in all, they made a yummy last act.
Zucchini Coconut Bread
Adapted from www.allrecipes.com Mom's Zucchini Bread
Makes 24 cupcakes or 12 cupcakes and 1 8x4 loaf or 2 8x4 loaves
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut flavor
Directions
Put papers into 24 muffin tins or 12 and grease and flour one or two 8 x 4 inch pans.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, cocnut flavor and sugar together in a large bowl.
Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well.
Stir in zucchinicoconut and nuts until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 20 minutes for cupcakes or 40 to 60 minutes for loaves, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan, cool and frost with coconut creamcheese frosting.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 5 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (optional)
Directions
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream.
Beat in the salt, coconut flavoring, and vanilla extract. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and spreadable.
Add additional confectioners' sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting, or more cream to thin.
Stir in the coconut.
If desired, spoon toasted coconut evenly over frosted cake.
Your cupcakes tempt my appetite!
It’s the time of departure for “the next chapter of your life” at last!
I wish you be careful on the way to a new place!
Can I see you again on your blog?
I’m waiting for it!!
Posted by: am-tm-Mitsuko | September 10, 2007 at 08:33 PM
Wow. Won't be long before you're counting up the "first time ever's", will it?
Not a coconut fan, but the cupcakes sound tasty otherwise. :)
Posted by: Crafting Jen | September 10, 2007 at 11:32 AM