Samoa Cupcake

52 cupcakes | 350 F

Shortbread Crust (make 2 batches)

10 oz flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Preheat oven to 300F and prep two 9-inch springform pans with deli wrap on the bottom to prevent sticking.

Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Use a pastry blender to mostly incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. Once it's mostly incorporated, use your hands to finish it up. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the two pans. Cook for 40 min.

Once cooled, finely grind the cookies in a food processor. Place a scant tablespoon in the bottom of each cupcake liner and gently press down with a glass the same diameter as the bottom of the cupcakes (or your fingers).

Vanilla Coconut Cupcakes

1 lb 4 oz all purpose flour
80 g cornstarch
4 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 cup vegetable oil
2 cup milk
8 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz coconut


Sift the dry ingredients together.

Put the wet ingredients in another bowl and mix together. Add the wet to the dry and combine thoroughly. Mix in the coconut.

Scoop into cupcake papers about three-quarters full.

Bake for 22 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Caramel (for both topping and frosting)

3 cups sugar
2/3  cup water
1 1/3 cup heavy cream

Pour the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan. Carefully pour 1/3 cup water around the walls of the pan, trying not to splash any of the sugar onto the walls. Do not stir; gently draw you finger twice through the center of the sugar, making a cross, to moisten it. Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally to even out the color, until the mixture is medium caramel in color, 5 to 10 minutes. Immediately turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to slowly and carefully stir in the cream (it will bubble up and may splatter).

Pour off 3/4 cup of caramel to add to the frosting later. Allow caramel to cool for a few minutes then stir in 10 ounces of sweetened coconut.

Caramel Frosting

17 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz butter, room temperature
12 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup caramel (reserved from above)

Mix the cream cheese, butter, and caramel together thoroughly. Add 6 cups of the powdered sugar and mix well. Add in the other 6 cups and mix again.

Chocolate Ganache

8 oz chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream

Add chips and cream to a sauce pan and stir over medium heat until all the chips are melted.

Assemble

Dip each cupcake in the slightly cooled ganache. Let the ganache cool for about 15 min on the cupcakes. Frost each cupcake with the caramel frosting. Put a dollop of caramel coconut onto of each cupcake and then finally drizzle the remaining ganache over each.