The second recipe I tried for my healthy baking expedition was the Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! Sounds yummy and they were amazing! Very moist, filled with flavor and you would never guess they were made with healthy and whole foods! Here is the recipe that I altered from the Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook.
Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan and a mini muffin pan if you would like. I love the minis, they are so cute. I recommend using unbleached baking cups. They are eco-friendly, no greasing needed, will not affect the taste of the cupcake, are landfill safe and non-toxic and do not contain chlorine (which is what is used to bleach most of the white liners). I like the If You Care brand, which can be found at Wegman’s and health food stores.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
With an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup honey (buy locally produced honey if possible), 1/3 cup butter at room temperature, and 1/4 cup of light sour cream until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the batter with 3/4 cup of 2% milk and beat for 2 minutes on low speed.
Add 3 large egg whites (cage-free organic) and 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon of coconut extract and beat for 2 more minutes. Fold in 2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut and 1 cup of unsweetened flaked coconut. **Shredded coconut is finely grated and flaked is the long strips of coconut.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. The batter is not as loose or smooth as a typical box made batter. It is lumpy and thicker. It’s okay, trust the process!
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to rack to cool completely. Makes 12 large cupcakes and 10 mini cupcakes.
The coconut peaks are slightly browned and they are super moist! They are great as they are, but I wanted to frost them with some frosting!
Here is the recipe for the Cream Cheese Frosting! Sweet and simple.
With an electric mixer, beat 8 oz. of reduced fat cream cheese, often called Neufchatel cheese with 2 tablespoons of butter at room temperature. Beat in1/3 cup of agave nectar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat well. Because of the agave, the icing is not bright white. Makes 1 1/2 cups, enough to frost this recipe.
For a nice topping, I toasted flaked coconut in a pan on medium heat. Stir it often as it browns quickly. Frost your cupcakes when they are completely cool and dip into the coconut flakes.
You will love this recipe for it’s taste and healthy goodness. Try to use organic and natural ingredients wherever possible.
Quick Tip: Share your goodies with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. It doesn’t leave so many in your kitchen and it is always nice to share 
So my Sunday was spent baking; healthy and whole baking. I did enjoy getting back into it. It felt good. It was also tiring. So next time, I’ll stick to one recipe per day, not 3! Check out Christina’s blog and let her inspire you too!
*Recipe adapted from The Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook, 2009
