Coconut Raspberry Cake Bites

Coconut raspberry cake bites are small, tender cakes with berries folded into the batter and toasted coconut on top. Baking them in a standard 24-well mini muffin pan gives a fixed yield and removes the guesswork of cutting a larger cake. The berries should be dry before mixing so they do not add excess water.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
• Cooking spray

Equipment

• Standard 24-well metal mini muffin pan
• Two mixing bowls, whisk, flexible spatula, and cooling rack
• Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Coat all 24 wells lightly with cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup coconut in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for 30 seconds. Whisk in the yogurt, oil, vanilla, and coconut extract.
4. Add the dry mixture and fold just until no flour streaks remain. Gently fold in the dry raspberries, allowing some to break naturally.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the wells, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over the tops.
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick inserted away from a berry comes out without wet batter.
7. Because the batter contains egg, verify a center bite reaches at least 160°F. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Preparation Notes

Fresh raspberries are delicate. Fold them with a flexible spatula and stop once they are distributed. Test with a toothpick away from a berry because fruit juice can resemble uncooked batter. Use a metal mini muffin pan for the stated time; silicone molds heat differently.

Do not pack the flour into the cup. Excess flour makes small cakes dry quickly. Stir the coconut before measuring so long strands are distributed rather than compressed.

Substitutions

Fresh blueberries can replace raspberries in the same volume. Full-fat Greek yogurt can replace nonfat yogurt. Sweetened coconut is not a direct substitute because it changes the sugar level and browning. Frozen berries have not been specified because thawed liquid changes the batter.

Serving and Scaling

Serve one or more bites according to the meal rather than treating the full tray as one serving. For an event, bake separate batches instead of doubling the batter in one bowl; a larger mixture is easier to overwork, and the first portion may wait too long before baking. Cool each batch on the rack before arranging it on a platter.

Storage

Cool completely before covering. Refrigerate at 40°F or below and use within three to four days. Reheat to 165°F if served warm. Freeze cooled bites in a freezer-safe container and thaw in the refrigerator.

Programme Note

No current points, Syns, or nutrition figure is provided. Calculate the exact products and 24-bite yield in the current official recipe builder if needed.