...my baby is two!

My baby boy turned two yesterday and I am in shock. It seems like yesterday that he had his first birthday. This year seems to have passed without me noticing and it makes me sad! He is an absolute joy. Always smiling and happy. Always trying to make everyone laugh. He is a hilarious, outgoing, loving and cuddly boy. (I love that my baby boy cuddles with me everyday...what a lucky mom I am!)

Anyway...we had a blast yesterday. Little C ruled the roost...much to his older sister's dismay. I asked him what he wanted for his dinner and he said, "NOODLES!" (Noodles = Mac n' Cheese. Gourmet Mac n' Cheese, that is. I'll post the recipe tomorrow. You blue-box lovers will never look back.)

Emma suggested white cupcakes with blue frosting for her brother. (Sorry, mom. I know that blue food is gross and shouldn't be eaten, but I didn't have a choice.) We decided to make the BEST.CUPCAKES.EVER! Coconut Cupcakes. Serious heaven. (I say that about all the food I post...but that is cause I only share my favorites with you!) All of you cake-mix users really should give made-from-scratch cake a try. It is not that much harder, but 10,000x's tastier.

See how thick and decadent the batter looks! It is hard not to gobble it up before baking. Mmm....

COCONUT CUPCAKES:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
4 egg whites
1/3 cup sweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with paper cupcake thingies.
2. Beat butter and 1 cup of sugar for about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add flour and milk gradually. Beat until combined. Try not to eat. Resist. (K...fine...taste it. It is soooo yummy!)
3. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy then add 1/8 cup of sugar. Beat until it has stiff and glossy peaks. (Don't overbeat.) Fold 1/3 of the egg mixture gently into butter-flour mixture. Gently fold in the rest of the egg mixture then stir in the coconut.
4. Fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes.
5. Top with a yummy frosting.

*yields about 18 cupcakes. Or, if you eat the batter like my family does, 12.

I made a cream cheese/powdered sugar/butter/vanilla frosting, but I didn't have enough powdered sugar, so it was a little thin. (Thin icing=lifeless decorating, but c'est la vie!) Honestly, I thought the cream cheese frosting was too overpowering. These cupcakes don't even NEED frosting because they are so good, so I highly recommend a normal buttercream or vanilla frosting recipe to allow the cupcakes to be the main flavor.

*All the cupcakes in the picture above were decorated with love by my sweet 4-year-old.

C didn't seem to think the frosting was lacking, however. That is all he ate.