Mother’s Day in Argentina
I called my mom on Sunday. “Happy Mother’s Day!” I said. She laughed and told me that I was a few months 
too late. It’s okay – because I didn’t miss the North American Mother’s Day (how could I? I’ve been reminded since birth that even though I was born a few days late, I was due on Mother’s Day in 1976). Here’s my mom pictured to the right…
Anyway, it’s been a week since the painters left the house turned upside down. There was dust everywhere because we had the whole house painted. The humidity that is so common to settle into the walls here has been stripped away, plastered up and sanded down again. Javier and I cleaned for four days straight. The house has just come together and seems more organized now.
On Saturday night, Javier went to tango and I stayed at home, relieved that I didn’t have to deal with the neverending piles of painter’s dust that seemed to be appearing everywhere in the house all week. So on Saturday, I made coconut cupcakes and tested out a white chocolate frosting on top, sprinkled with shaved white chocolate.
It came out perfect! Javier’s mother and grandmother were there, as well as Javi’s mother’s cousin and his family, Javier’s brother and great uncle. We ate an asado, and then over tea and coffee celebrated el “Dia de la Madre”.
Here’s the recipe. It’s from Kimberly Kennedy’s book, The Art and Craft of Entertaining.
Cupcakes
1/2 cup coconut cream (not cream of coconut) or milk
3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup desiccated or unsweetened coconut, finely ground in a food processor
1/2 cup sweetened dried coconut
White chocolate frosting
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
4 ounces (8 tablespoons) butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. and set oven rack in the middle position. Lightly coat the surface of a twelve-cup cupcake pan with a nonstick spray and line each cup with a foil or paper liner.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut cream, egg whites, and vanilla extract to combine. In another bowl, or over parchment paper, sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Beat the butter and salt together in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk until creamy and smooth and while continuing to beat add sugar in a steady stream. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Add one-third of the dry ingredients along with one-third of the coconut cream mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and coconut cream mixture in two alternating batches, beating between each addition to fully incorporate. Add the dried, ground coconut and sweetened dried coconut with the last addition of dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl and give a final stir with a sturdy rubber spatula.
5. Fill each cupcake cup about two-thirds full and knock the pan on the countertop once or twice to release air bubbles and even the surface of the batter. Place pan in oven. After 10-12 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue to bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center and a cake tester or wooden skewer emerges with crumbs clinging to it. Total baking time will be 20-22 minutes.
6. Cool pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan to the rack and let cool completely.
To make the frosting
1. Melt white chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of water that is not quite simmering. Make sure the bottom of the bowl rests several inches above the surface of the water. Stir chocolate until smooth and let cool to room temperature on the countertop.
2. Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl. Using a whisk, stir in the milk until all of the sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth. Add butter, vanilla extract, and salt and continue to beat until smooth and shiny. With a rubber spatula, stir in the cooled white chocolate.
3. Place frosting in the refrigerator until cool enough to frost the cupcakes, about 30 minutes. (Frosting can be kept for a day in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Refrigerated frosting will need to soften at room temperature before spreading.)
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