Coconut Cream Pie Cupcakes

Coconut cream pie, for me, is one of those desserts that always elicit the most nostalgic childhood memories. As a young kid, it was always the dessert I gravitated towards before I discovered more gourmet options like crème brulee and bread pudding and became a bonafide dessert snob.

Now, as an adult those “other” options have sort of lost their luster and I find myself pining over a coconut cream pie more often than any other dessert. Unfortunately for me, the restaurant which served my go-to coconut cream pie as a kid, the only one I’d even consider inhaling, closed a little under ten years ago, so I’m not able to actually recreate the original scene of the crime and pretend I’m a kid again.

Fortunately for me, the pie lives on at local grocery stores around the Kansas City metro area, so while I can’t replicate the exact order of events and memories, I can still enjoy the exact same pie in the comfort of my home.

It’s a blessing and curse all at the same time.

I’ve toyed around with completely different versions of the tried and true coconut cream pie, because trying to replicate the recipe myself would just land me in severe disappointment. I’ll never be able to duplicate the perfectly flaky, buttery crust, or tint the garnish of coconut a perfectly pink hue, and I’ll never ever be able to imitate the most light as air, sweet whipped cream topping.

So I don’t try.

I’ve been craving coconut cream pie and moist cupcakes almost daily for the last couple of weeks, so I decided that combining the two cravings was the logical next step.

Logic paid off, because Coconut Cream Pie Cupcakes are my new favorite dessert.

Light as air almond and vanilla flavored cupcakes are hollowed out and stuffed with a rich coconut cream custard, piped with a sweet whipped cream and mascarpone topping and then sprinkled with extra coconut. What results just may be the most perfect dessert hybrid known to man.

I will not lie to you. This recipe is intense. There are steps. It takes time. And patience. And a little bit of skill. But if you follow the directions precisely, you shouldn’t have a problem.

We begin with a simple cupcake recipe, an adaptation of this cupcake, which is an adaptation of a classic Martha Stewart recipe. Of course, butter and sugar make up the base of the cake, but vanilla almond milk, a whole vanilla bean and almond extract transform the coconut-based flavor into something completely different – in a good way. I really wanted to keep the cupcake itself free of coconut flavor so we could have the same “layers” of flavor as a classic coconut cream pie – the crust, the filling and the whipped cream topping.

Two egg yolks give the batter richness, while four whipped eggs whites offer the cake a super light texture. Again, whipping up the egg yolks may seem like a task, but it makes a world of difference in the final product.

The filling couldn’t be simpler – coconut milk, sugar and one egg yolk are heated up until slightly thickened and then combined with a cornstarch slurry which is just a mixture of cornstarch and almond milk. The cornstarch helps to thicken the custard so we don’t have to add more eggs. Once the mixture is thickened, a half-cup of coconut is stirred in and then set aside to chill.

I get rather impatient when I’m required to chill things, so I transferred the mixture to another smaller bowl and stuck it in the freezer to speed up the process. I just stirred it every five minutes or so until it was cool.

The last layer is a mixture of heavy cream and mascarpone. I was going to go with a whipped cream topping, but I don’t find them to be sturdy enough to actually pipe onto a cupcake. Softened mascarpone cheese adds a little bit of richness, but also allows the piping to keep its shape.

A sprinkle of coconut finishes the cupcake off.

I like to chill them for ten minutes or so after making them, just to let the custard and “frosting” set, but if you’re making them a day in advance, just fill the cupcakes before, store them in an airtight container and then pipe them the day off. Make sure you let the cakes set out for ten minutes or so before serving so the cake warms up a bit.

Just try to say no to these….