Italian Cream Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting - cooking recipe

Ingredients

WHISK TOGETHER
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
CREAM TOGETHER AND ADD
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs, seperated (reserve whites)
2 tablespoons hazelnut syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
BEAT AND FOLD IN
6 egg whites (reserved earlier)
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325*; line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners and coat with nonstick spray.
Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl; set aside.
Cream sugar and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attatchment on medium speed until white and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in syrup and vanilla until incorporated.
Mix 1/2 the dry mixture into butter mixture, followed by buttermilk, then remaining dry ingredients; blend just until incorporated.
In a bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat egg whites into stiff peaks; fold into batter.
Fold hazelnuts and coconut into batter.
Fill liners to the top with batter and bake until toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-25-minutes.
Cool Cupackes in the pan for 20-minutes; transfer to rack.
Frost when cool.
CREAM CHEESE ICING:.
2 packages (8-oz. each) cream cheese, softened.
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 cups).
3 tablespoons hazelnut syrup.
2 tablespoons heavy cream.
1 lb. powered sugar, sifted.
Whip cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until combined.
Add syrup and cream; beat in powdered sugar until creamy.
Generously frost each cupcake.
GARNISH:.
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (5 oz.).
1/2 cup hazelnuts.