Let's all be honest, hannukah food is the best holiday food. The delicious fried doughnuts and latkes are something I wait all year for, but they can get pretty heavy. I thought why not take those famous fried potato pancakes and turn them into a dessert?
These cupcakes, thankfully, do not have any actual potato in them. They are a vanilla cake topped with buttercream frosting and a coconut macaroon "latke". Kids will love to help you make the macaroons and you can all have fun decorating the cupcakes!
Cupcakes
3 Egg whites
2 Egg yolks
1 Cup sugar
½ Cup butter
1 Cup milk
2 Cups flour
1 ½ Teaspoons baking powder
1 Teaspoon vanilla
½ Teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peak forms. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the egg yolks and the sugar until they are a pale yellow color. This should take a couple of minutes. Add the butter (make sure that it is room temperature!)and vanilla and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add about ⅓ cup milk to egg and butter mixture and mix. Once fully incorporated, add ⅓ of flour mixture and mix. Continue to alternate until all ingredients are combined. Fold in egg whites, being careful not to deflate the air you whipped into them.
Line cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers, using the ⅓ cup measure, scoop batter into pan. Bake for twenty minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once done, let the cupcakes cool completely while you make the frosting and “latke” topping.
Macaroons (“Latke” topping)
I will give credit where credit is due, this is not my recipe. I use Ina Garten’s Macaroon recipe, because really nothing can beat the Barefoot Contessa!
14 Ounces Sweetened shredded coconut
14 Ounces Sweetened condensed milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Egg whites
¼ Teaspoon salt
Brown food coloring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla, and a small amount of the food coloring in a large bowl.
Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Using a Tablespoon measure, scoop the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and squish down until almost flat.
Bake 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
Buttercream Frosting
½ Cup butter
1 pound powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk
Whip butter until light and fluffy (make sure butter is room temperature!). Slowly add in powdered sugar. If it gets too thick, add a splash of milk to thin. You will want the frosting to be quite thick to be able to hold up the “latke”.
Once the Cupcakes are completely cool, Pipe frosting onto the top with whatever piping tip you prefer and attach a “latke” to the top.
I hope you enjoy!
