Frosted cupcakes piled high with coconut chips. Yes, coconut chips!! I came across them at a food show and thought they would make a beautiful complement to chocolate cupcakes frosted with vanilla buttercream.
We shot this cupcake at the studio one day, and it has become one of our all-time favorite shots. To make a more dramatic presentation, I used a Texas-size cupcake pan lined with extra-large paper liners. (A standard cake mix will make 10 to 12 cupcakes.) I frosted the cupcakes with a rich vanilla buttercream. To give the coconut a hint of color and to bring out its flavor, I very lightly toasted the coconut chips. (Place them in single layer on a baking sheet, and toast in 275° oven for about 5 minutes.)
The best coconut chips are just pure dried coconut—organic, unsweetened and sulfite-free. You can eat them straight from the package, add them to your favorite trail mix, stir them into a fruit salad—be creative! Coconut chips may be a little harder to find than shredded coconut, but they are certainly worth the search. I found them at Trader Joes, and they are also available at natural food markets. Or, you can order them online. Here are a few online resources: Tropical Traditions, Nuts Online, or Melissa’s.
as photographed by our team, alacartepartners
Cathy