As most dessert lovers know, the cupcake trend continues to wreak havoc on our waistlines. With new outposts of Sprinkles, Crumbs, and Magnolia Bakery popping up in cities around the country, it seems the cupcake craze is here to stay. Tucked in a corner of trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn is one of the city’s best-kept cupcake secrets: Brooklyn Cupcake. What’s so special about this particular cupcake spot, you ask? At Brooklyn Cupcake, the ubiquitous dessert is being given a Latin makeover!
“Our shop is unique because we cater to the Latin market” explains Carmen Rodriguez, one of Brooklyn Cupcake’s owners, alongside Gina Madera and Michelle Caballero. “We draw inspiration from recipes that are dear to our heart from growing up.” Carmen, who worked in retail management for thirty years, had a passion for cooking and Latin food. Having always baked at family functions, she decided to try her hand at baking full-time one year ago when Brooklyn Cupcake was born.
While Brooklyn Cupcake offers your now-standard Red Velvet cupcake and Bourbon Vanilla Cheesecake Cupcake (their twist on the classic vanilla), it is exotic flavors like “Flan”, “Guava con Queso” and Tiramisu that pay homage to the ladies’ Puerto Rican and Italian heritage and keep the public coming back for seconds.
One of the most popular flavors at Brooklyn Cupcake is the “Coquito Cupcake" which nods to the classic Puerto Rican holiday beverage made with cream of coconut and rum. The spark for such a flavor came when Carmen entered the annual “Coquito Tasting Contest” organized by The International Coquito Federation, with her recipe for a coconut-based cupcake with rum extract, a few other secret ingredients, and a whipped vanilla frosting. Although the “Coquito Cupcake” did not receive a prize, it was so well received that it quickly became a staple on the menu and continues to be a Brooklyn Cupcake best seller.
The next time you’re craving a bit of coquito in your life, head to Brooklyn, but if you can’t make it to Williamsburg anytime soon, don’t fret! Carmen offers the recipe to make your very own Coquito Cupcake right here on The Latin Kitchen.
- 16 ounces clear rum
- 30 ounces cream of coconut (2 cans)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 stick butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoonbaking soda
- 3 eggs