Coconut Cupcakes

Coconut Cupcakes(Adapted from Ina Garten)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 7-ounce package flaked sweetened coconut, divided

Cream Cheese Icing

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Remaining coconut

Preheat oven to 325

Prepare baking pans by setting 16 cupcake papers in muffin tins

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. Make sure to scrape the bowl a couple times during this mixing.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in only 1 1/3 cups of the coconut.

Fill each muffin cup almost full with batter. Bake 10-12 minutes and then reverse the positions of the two cupcake pans. Bake another 10-12 minutes or until the cupcake tops are golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, and then frost with cream cheese icing.

For the Icing

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar. Gradually beat in as much of the remaining sugar as needed to reach a comfortable spreading consistency.

Spread each cooled cupcake with the cream cheese icing and then top with the remaining coconut.