Frosting Delivery Systems - Also Known as Coconut Cupcakes #CooktheBooks #FoodieReads

This was inspired by reading Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten. Debra of Eliot's Eats picked this as our February/Mary 2025 Cook the Books selection.

On the Page

I had, obviously, heard of Ina Garten - the Barefoot Contessa (or so I thought) - but I knew nothing else about her. I had never seen any of her shows on the Food Network; I didn't own any of her cookbooks. But I love memoirs and I have been terrible about joining in the most recent events. So, I was determined to participate with this book.

It turns out Garten has lived a fascinating though not easy life. And she inherited the moniker - Barefoot Contessa - when she purchased a specialty food store that already had that name. From there she grew it into an empire. Her marriage has endured her meeting him when she was fifteen, his deployment to Vietnam, multiple career changes, a long-distance-commuter marriage, and a complete home remodel in another country.

I especially loved her culinary epiphany in France - how they shop, how they cook, and how they eat. I had a similar revelation when I lived and worked in Italy. It's the same thing: foods are eaten in-season; shopping is done in specialty shops; and dishes are made to enhance the natural flavors and quality of the ingredients.

After reading her memoir I now know that she is more than a chef whose celebrity comes from the food world. She survived an emotionally frigid childhood. She had a career in the White House. And she and Jeffrey have an enviable love story.

Her commentary and narrative style is so easy to read. "The food business, this food business, would give me the freedom and creative outlet I craved. You bake cookies, you sell cookies, and if the cookie doesn’t sell, you make something else that customers will love and that WILL sell. It’s a business problem to solve, and it involved chocolate chip cookies! How great is that?"

"This was the very first time I thought of food as an expression of love. Before I started cooking for Jeffrey, food could be good, bad, or mediocre like the food at home, but it didn’t matter because it was just sustenance, not pleasure. Now baking something delicious was a way to express my feelings and to connect with Jeffrey—I’d think of him while I cooked, and when he reached for one of my cookies or brownies, I knew he’d think of me. It was a sensory win-win. I think those homemade brownies were for Jeffrey the culinary equivalent of a low-cut dress: irresistible and guaranteed to make an impression!"

Read how she described food in French markets. "Olives—green, black, brown, and deep purple, briny and garnished with garlic, lemon, and slivers of red peppers. Pâté—every kind imaginable, from the classic liver I made with Carolyn in Colorado, to duck, wild boar, and venison. And the charcuterie! Ham studded with rosemary; garlicky saucisson, sold by the tranche, or slice. Not a piece of plastic wrap anywhere, and best of all, we could ask for a taste of anything, so we felt like we’d had a meal before we even sat down for lunch. ...No anemic tomatoes sealed in little green plastic trays in these markets! Instead, tomatoes in the brightest shades of red, yellow, and orange, fresh from the vine; green and white asparagus; purple eggplant; ruby radishes; and deep orange and purple carrots, soil included. Vibrant colors were everywhere, as far as the eye could see. Even the lowly potatoes were freshly dug and looked like little jewels."

I don't know that I will be buying any of her cookbooks or watching any of her shows. I don't have access to the Food Network, except when we watch television at a hotel or rental house while on vacation; and I don't usually gravitate towards making French food. But I am now a fan!

On the Plate

There were several things I was inspired to make, including Pan-Fried Onion Dip, lentil soup, and a chocolate cake. I will be linking to those recipes soon.

But for this post, I was inspired by this passage...

The coconut cupcakes (or frosting delivery systems, as we liked to call them) were like crack, everyone’s favorite (legal) guilty pleasure. No one cared about the calories because they were so good!

And timing on finding her recipes was perfect. I made these for Valentines' Day, brought them to the teacher appreciation event at the International School of Monterey, and packaged some up for friends. Then I made the recipe again, but made a full-size cake - and gluten-free - for our own Valentines' Day celebration.

But back to the cupcakes...with a few modifications from her recipe...

Ingredients

Makes 18 to 20 large cupcakes

• 3/4 pound (1-1/2 cups) butter at room temperature

• 1-1/2 cups organic granulated sugar

• 5 eggs at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla paste

• 3 cups flour (I used the Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1/2 cup coconut milk

• 2 cups shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)

• Also needed: paper liners

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 pound (2 blocks) cream cheese at room temperature

• 3/4 pound (1-1/2 cups) butter at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste

• 6 cups organic powdered sugar

For Finishing

• sprinkles, as needed

• Also needed: piping bag and tip

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with paper liner and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until lightened and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time. Add in the vanilla paste, buttermilk, and coconut milk. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Alternate one third of the flour with one-third of the coconut until everything has been added.

Spoon batter into liners and bake until the tops are browned and bounce back when you press them. Allow to cool in pan for ten minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting by adding all of the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Beat until well-combined and smooth. Spoon into a piping bag and top the cooled cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if using.

In addition to linking to Cook the Books, I am adding this to the  February 2025 #FoodieReads Link-Up.