Irish Potato Cupcakes

Yesterday's Irish potato post was but a precursor for something greater: Irish potato cupcakes. I took the flavors of Irish potatoes, turned them into a cupcake, and then stuffed each one with a fresh Irish potato. I'm happy to report that my crazy little experiment turned out even better than I'd imagined!


I used my favorite vanilla cake recipe and added a heaping serving of cinnamon and whipped up some cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut for the topping. The Irish potato nestled in the center ties it all together perfectly even though it does make the cupcake a little structurally unsound. I recommend eating this one with a fork and after a few bites you should expect it to fall apart a bit. I'm guessing this is because the filling's cinnamon coating keeps it from being sticky enough to hold it together. It's not a huge problem but I thought I'd let you know in case you're trying to eat one on the run. And be warned: this cupcake is a sugar bomb. You'll need a tall glass of milk or a gallon of water to wash it down.

Irish Potato Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 cup granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons soft butter
2/3 cup milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.

2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

3) Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer at low speed, until the mixture looks sandy.

4) Combine the milk and vanilla and add, all at once. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.

5) With the mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Add the second egg, again beating for 30 seconds.

6) Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat briefly, just till smooth.

7) Scoop the batter by heaping 1/4-cupfuls into the prepared muffin tin. A muffin scoop works well here.

8) Bake the cupcakes for 23 to 25 minutes, until they've domed, and are a light golden brown around the edges. They'll spring back when pressed gently on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

9) Remove the cupcakes from the oven, cool in pan on a rack for ten minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack.

10) For the filling, whip up a batch of Irish potatoes and make 12 of them larger than usual, about 3/4". The recipe will make much more than you need for the cupcakes so enjoy the leftovers or make a quarter of the recipe and you'll have enough to fill the cupcakes. Using the cone method fill each cupcake with a large Irish potato.

Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon heavy cream
3-4 cups powdered sugar

1) In a pan over medium heat, toast coconut by stirring constantly until light golden brown. Remove coconut from pan and place in a bowl. Set aside.
2) In a mixer, cream butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and heavy cream and beat until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until mixture reaches desired consistency. Since you won't be piping the frosting it can be a little soft.
3) Spread frosting generously onto cupcakes using a spatula or flat knife. Dip the top of each cupcake into the bowl of toasted coconut, coating completely.

Irish Potatoes

I'm guessing that if you're not from the Philadelphia area you'll assume from the title that this post is about vegetables. Yuck! Guess again! C'mon, you know me better than that. I don't run a health food blog.

I'd never heard of Irish potatoes until we moved to southern New Jersey and I spotted some in the bakery section of the grocery store as St. Patrick's Day approached. Curious, I inspected the ingredients list and discovered, to my joy, that Irish potatoes are actually a confection made with a sugared cream cheese and coconut mixture rolled in cinnamon to resemble tiny potatoes. The recipe is so simple that I have no excuse for not making these sooner. Even worse, we usually break down and buy some from our favorite bakery every year.

Several people online commented that these are like coconut frosting rolled in cinnamon, and that's not far off the mark. Keep these small as the sugar factor can become overwhelming after a few bites. I made a few changes to the recipe I found online including chopping the coconut a bit before adding it in. Some people weren't fond of the stringy texture so I eliminated some of those longer pieces by chopping them up. It's not a necessary step but a good idea.

As you can see from the picture above, they're not the most attractive treats but they are a delicious St. Patrick's Day tradition.

Irish Potatoes
Recipe adapted from All Recipes

3 tablespoons butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
2-3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the vanilla and 3 cups confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Add additional confectioners' sugar if mixture isn't thick enough. Using your hands if necessary, mix in the coconut. Refrigerate until solid enough to roll into balls. Place the ground cinnamon in a Ziploc bag or lidded plastic container. Roll cream cheese mixture into small balls or potato shapes, place in bag or container with cinnamon and toss to coat. Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set. If desired, roll potatoes in cinnamon again for darker color.

Yields: About four dozen