Coconut Pecan Baby Cakes

To start, place an oven rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a standard 12-count muffin pan, butter each cup of the muffin tin generously. Using parchment or waxed paper, cut a small circular piece of paper to fit the bottom of each muffin cup. Place the paper in the bottom of each cup, then generously butter the paper as well. Option: use ‘baking’ cooking spray to generously coat the pan.

In a shallow baking pan, toast the pecans and coconut in the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes. Dump them into a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and pulse until they are coarsely ground, but not dust. If you have a few pea-sized chunks in there, that’s fine.

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the rest of the sugar with the eggs and beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the pecan/coconut mixture, then turn it back to medium-high and beat for one additional minute. At this point, you’ll want to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Turning the mixer back to medium-high, add the softened butter (you’ll want it to be super soft) one tablespoon at a time. Once the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer to low speed and add the coconut rum (or vanilla extract), and beat just until blended.

The batter will look slightly curdled, so don’t panic. There’s no flour in this recipe to smooth things out, so just go with it. Using a spoon or small ladle, spoon equal portions of the batter into each of the 12 muffin cups. Each cup should end up about half-full.

Sprinkle 10-12 cocoa nibs over the top of each baby cake. The cocoa nibs are optional, but add tremendous flavor. Place the pan into the center of the oven and set your timer for 14 minutes. After 14 minutes, turn the pan around and bake for another 14 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Mine took 28 minutes. Yours may take anywhere from 26 to 29 minutes to bake.

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it immediately. (Hint: I used a flat cookie sheet that was a little larger than my muffin pan. Just turn the cookie sheet upside-down on top of the muffin pan, then grab both pans with hot pads and flip them both at the same time.) Tap the bottom of the muffin tin to help release the cakes, then lift the muffin pan to release them. Allow cakes to cool for a few minutes, and remove any parchment paper that may be stuck to the bottom of the cakes. Using a flat spatula, turn them over so the tops are facing up and allow to cool.

These are best served slightly warm or at room temperature, and are even better with a dollop of whipped cream on top. The recipe makes 12 baby cakes which can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.

Note: This recipe was adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Almond Baby Cakes” as seen on her website. The link for her recipe can be found in my blog post. This recipe is gluten-free.