Coconut Passion Fruit Cupcakes

These are beautiful, festive cupcakes with a flavor pair that is amazing! And, of course, topped with our favorite cream cheese frosting, because, who doesn't love it, right? Let's bring a little sunshine into our days and bake these. Did I mention that all components - cupcakes, curd, and frosting - can be made ahead?

I call these my little gems because, no matter when I bake them, they remind me of sunny days. It's the yellow and white colors, they simply screams joy, don't they?

These cupcakes have a flavor combination that is fantastic! The components can be made in advance and even used for other recipes (like the Passion Fruit Lemon No Bake Cheesecake). On their own they are also amazing, so you can make the coconut cupcakes and simply add dulce de leche or a chocolate frosting on top. Just an idea.

Ingredients

• Butter: unsalted is what we use for this recipe.
• Eggs: always use the freshest ones you can buy.
• Liquid: buttermilk or coconut milk (for extra flavor) both work. But the former has an extra acid factor that is good for tenderness.
• Flour: I like to use cake flour for a great texture, but all-purpose works just fine. Don't go out of the way to buy the first one just to make this recipe.
• Extras: baking powder, salt
• Sugar: regular, granulated is what we use.
• Coconut: use unsweetened shredded.
• Flavorings: pure vanilla (paste or extract) and lemon (zest and juice) is used for the cupcakes and filling. They work wonderfully well together.
• Passion fruit pulp: I like to buy it with seeds, but you can also use the smooth pulp.
• Cream cheese: I love the good old-fashioned Philadelphia brand. But any other one you use for cheesecakes or frostings works fine.
• Powdered sugar: necessary for the frosting. Can't be substituted.

How to make the cupcakes

This is a butter cake, similar to a pound cake, so the batter is pretty straightforward for this type of cakes (like the Basic Vanilla Butter Cake for example).

• Creaming: butter and sugar are creamed and this should take several minutes. This process incorporates air that is needed to help the cake rise well in the oven.
• Sifting: I find this to be an essential step with all layer cakes (image below, left). It builds on the creaming step above to help the batter do it's thing in the oven and get us the best result possible.
• Scraping sides of bowl: do this several times (image below, right) to ensure that the batter is integrated as evenly as possible.
• Filling the pan: this is a cake batter that will dome when it rises, and I recommend filling it no more than ¾ of the muffin tins to ensure you don't have huge cupcakes that will be messy to eat after the filling and frosting are added.

Passion fruit curd

The most common citrus curd is lemon, but I made mine with fresh passion fruit pulp and seeds. You can also omit the seeds and have a smooth curd. The process is sort of similar to making pastry cream.

It is an extra step, but you can easily fill these cupcakes with purchased lemon curd or even a good raspberry jam. It pairs wonderfully.

How to fill the cupcakes

Melon scooper: this is what I use to scoop the tops of the baked cupcakes (metal gadget in the image below) and make a sort of nest to be filled with the passion fruit curd. It's super simple to use and easily available online and the links are in the Notes section of the recipe card.

My top tips

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes are as accurate as I they can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Creaming: butter and sugar are creamed and this should take several minutes. This process incorporates air that is needed to help the cake rise well in the oven.
• Sifting: I find this to be an essential step with all layer cakes. It builds on the creaming step above to help the batter do it's thing in the oven and get us the best result possible.
• Filling the pan: this is a cake batter that will dome when it rises, and I recommend filling it no more than ¾ of the muffin tins to ensure you don't have huge cupcakes that will be messy to eat after the filling and frosting are added.
• Coconut: you might want to lightly toast the shredded coconut before adding it to the batter. Do so in a low oven and watch very carefully as it burns in a second. Let cool completely before adding.
• Topping: I recommend you wait until the last minute to add it. If eating these outside on a hot day, keep them in the fridge as long as possible before serving them.

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Cupcakes adapted from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten and curd adapted from How to be a Domestic Goddess, by Nigella Lawson