Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream
Delicious yellow cupcakes soaked in tres leches and topped with homemade dulce de leche buttercream and toasted coconut. These cupcakes are a winner!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick )
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs (separated)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
For the Coconut Tres Leches:
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
For the Buttercream:
- 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 14 tbsp unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar
- toasted coconut
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed; add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until all the yellow disappears. Add the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.
- Fill standard paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cook in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet to cool.
Make the Coconut Tres Leches:
- While cupcakes are still warm, in a medium bowl, stir together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and the coconut milk.
- Poke several holes in the top of each of the cupcakes with 1/4-inch wooden skewer. Pour the milk mixture over each cupcake while they are still warm, filling each hole. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before adding buttercream.
Make the Buttercream:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- To make the dulce de leche, pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate or pyrex dish and cover with foil. Place pie plate into a larger roasting pan where pie plate can sit flat. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to a depth of about halfway up the pie plate/dish. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir until smooth.
- Place egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Stir the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small, heavy saucepan. Whisk in the water first, then the dulce de leche and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk the dulce de leche mixture into the 2 egg yolks. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a small bowl and set aside to cool. Whisking the mixture inside the wire mesh strainer helps promote it through the sieve.
- Beat the butter on high speed in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled dulce de leche mixture. Beat in the 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable. Add up to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar to achieve desired sweetness and consistency.
- Proceed to recipe for Spring Chicks to decorate the cupcakes as chicks. Otherwise, frost with buttercream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
Notes
Source: Adapted from Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown, recipe courtesy of Lorie Roach
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