This recipe is seriously worth sharing again. I can’t believe that these pumpkin coconut cupcakes won a baking contest… again! I won a baking contest using this exact same recipe 4 years ago. Award Winning Pumpkin Coconut Cupcakes
Ok, ok… it wasn’t a serious baking contest but it was serious enough because they were baking contests at my work. And those get serious. Especially when there are prizes (and egos) involved.
I found this recipe a few years ago. It’s a Paula Deen recipe. There is no butter involved in the pumpkin batter. However, there is a lot of oil, which I think is the magic moistness factor.
I made these as pumpkin bars many times without the frosting on top and they are still a hit! They are seriously The most delicious pumpkin bars EVER! (Click that link for the link to the Paula Deen recipe).
So back to me winning the baking contest… I made these as cupcakes and I think that the winning combination is the combo of pumpkin, cream cheese and toasted coconut. Yes, I said toasted coconut. You might not think that this mixture goes well together, but it does! I received many compliments on this recipe and the judges said that the addition of the toasted coconut on top was a “nice little surprise at the end”. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it must mean something good.
So even though these cupcakes are based on Paula Deen’s recipe for pumpkin bars, which on it’s own is delicious, I did add a few tweaks of my own. I believe these little tweaks made all the difference. I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the pumpkin batter and I added toasted coconut on top. Those were my two little tweaks.
Here’s the link to the recipe again Pumpkin Bars by Paula Deen. Don’t forget to tweak the recipe by adding a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter, making the cream cheese frosting as directed and adding toasted coconut on top. Or follow this recipe: Award Winning Pumpkin Coconut Cupcakes
If you win a baking contest too, then… You’re welcome.
Happy Baking!
Adventures of Sweet Monday 
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