Decadent chocolate cupcakes with fragrant almond frosting coated with coconut and almonds.
Hello all!
I apologize once again for a long absence from my blog. I am all moved in to college and have been going to classes now for three weeks!! Ahhh it’s already flying by!
I moved in August and it was so hard to say goodbye to my family and my house. My parents laughed at me when I actually said goodbye to my kitchen aid mixer and our beautiful kitchen! It’s been rough having nothing or nowhere to bake. Unfortunately, my dorm does not have a kitchen ….gasp… I’m not sure if I’ll survive! My suite mate has graciously offered to let me use a nearby family home to bake… thank god! I found out that there is no culinary club on campus which I am very sad about, but many people have been encouraging me to start one so we’ll see!
School has gotten off to a good start though! I love my dorm room and have actually started calling it home. I hate the food though…I can’t eat another salad or piece of cafeteria pizza… unfortunately the best part of the cafeteria is the dessert bar so the freshman fifteen is on its way! I’ve started running though and my roommates think I’m a little crazy because I run in the morning before class!
Anyways enough with my rambling about college! Today I bring you Almond Joy Cupcakes! (I stashed this recipe away before I moved.)
I have one weakness…you know besides Nutella, chocolate chip cookie dough, and black labrador puppies… I am a sucker for almond joy anything. Almond and coconut were just meant to be. The cupcakes are not at all dense like most chocolate cakes can end up being. And you just can’t go wrong with almond buttercream rolled in coconut and almonds! They are packed with different textures between the light cake, the creamy frosting, the shredded coconut, and the crunchy almonds.
The best part about this recipe though is that it makes a baker’s dozen (13)…so you can eat one and still show up to the party with 12 cupcakes and no one will suspect a thing!
To get great presentation, there is a specific way to roll them in the coconut and almonds. I worked at a bakery over the summer and learned that there is more to it than just dunking the cupcake! First of all, you want to either pipe on the frosting or use an ice cream scoop in order to get a nice and neat dome shape.
Then to roll it you want to angle the cupcake and roll it so that the frosting gets pushed up into a cone shape. Like this….
If you like the cone shape, leave it like this. If you want a more domed shape, smash the pointed top down by dunking it again perpendicular to the bowl.
Happy Almond Joying!
…and voilà!
- ½ cup butter
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate or ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup buttermilk (or ½ cup of milk+2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar)
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- ⅛ cup slivered or sliced almonds
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 12-14 cupcake cups.
- Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals stirring each time.
- In another bowl, stir cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, and vanilla together.
- Whisk in the slightly cooled melted chocolate and butter.
- Alternate adding in the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
- Fill the cupcake tins ¾- almost completely full.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean, rotating the pan halfway through.
- Cool completely.
- Cream butter and sugar together until completely combined.
- Mix in extract.
- Toss the coconut and almonds together.
- Either pipe on the frosting or use a scooper in order to get a nice and neat dome shape.
- To roll the frosting in the topping, angle the cupcake and roll it so that the frosting gets pushed up into a cone shape.
- If you want a more domed shape, smash the pointed top down by dunking it in the topping again perpendicular to the bowl.
- Voilà!
Chocolate Cupcakes from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Lovin’ the almond joy? Check out my Homemade Almond Joys!
Coming soon: Almond Joy Macaroons!
These look delicious, I love almonds!
Hope college is going well for you, I struggled to bake when I started uni so hang in there! x
Thanks so much! I’m loving college but missing my kitchen terribly! I’m in the process of starting a baking club at my school, so hopefully I’ll get to bake more then!