Coconut Cupcakes with Almond Cream Frosting

With almond and vanilla boosting the coconut flavor, this recipe for coconut cupcakes is complex and has a very rich flavor.

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Beat sugar and butter together using an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in vanilla extract, almond extract, and coconut extract; mix well. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing until incorporated. Fold in coconut.
Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Beat cream cheese and shortening together using an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until creamy. Mix in vanilla extract and almond extract.
Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Top each with shredded coconut.
This also makes 24 mini cupcakes. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
For the cream cheese frosting, I want the cream cheese to be the dominant flavor, so I do not use butter for this frosting. Crisco(R) (or any vegetable shortening) has a neutral flavor.