German Chocolate Cupcakes

Sorry for my unintentional blogging hiatus! I cooked all through the month of August, but mostly it was old favorites and there was nothing new to post. As far as this recipe goes, let me confess that I don't like coconut, so I can't confirm if these are good cupcakes or not. Andy really liked them. A friend told me that this is his favorite cake, so I made it for his birthday. Layer cakes aren't my things, so we had cupcakes instead. The cake is actually this yummy recipe, baked in muffin pans. The topping is a traditional German chocolate cake filling. Normally I don’t use cupcake liners; however, the topping is so gooey, you’ll need them for this. Enjoy!

German Chocolate Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 (16-oz.) can chocolate syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 (11.5-oz.) bag semisweet chocolate chips
Coconut-Pecan Topping

1. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in chocolate syrup and vanilla. Gradually add in flour, beating just until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels. Pour into lined muffin pan.
2. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or just until set (do not overcook).

Coconut-Pecan Topping:
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
2 cups chopped toasted pecans

1. Combine the evaporated milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and butter in a saucepan over low heat. When the butter melts, raise the heat to medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat; stir in coconut and pecans. Cool completely before spooning over tops of cupcakes.