Deliciously light and fluffy coconut cupcakes, with a coconut cream cheese frosting. Simple easy recipe for how to make perfect, moist cupcakes, ideal for parties and celebrations.
I am sure all our Lovefoodies followers will know we have a sweet spot when it comes to coconut flavored food! One of our most popular all-time recipes is our delicious coconut pound cake. Made by so many of you, all around the world, the feedback has been amazing, and we're so happy you're loving coconut as much as us!
So we decided to create a coconut cupcake recipe, it's a really simple, straightforward recipe, using regular ingredients.
The cake texture is really soft and fluffy, and the flavor is obviously packed with coconut, using a combination of coconut milk and desiccated coconut, which does give another texture dimension to these beautiful cupcakes.
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To top the all, we decided on a really fluffy creamy vanilla and coconut frosting. A simple recipe made up of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and of course, delicious vanilla and coconut extract.
The frosting is quite sweet and decadent, so if you don’t have a particularly sweet tooth, feel free to reduce the sugar quantity by a third, so you would use 3 cups or 300 g of powdered sugar.
These coconut cupcakes would be ideal for a birthday party or gathering. They don't take long to bake at all, and they will freeze nicely if kept in an air-tight bag. All you will need to do is defrost at room temperature and then whip up the vanilla and coconut frosting when you're ready to serve.
So let's get straight to the recipe and see how we make these lovely easy cupcakes! Enjoy!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
25 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Yield
12 Cupcakes
Ingredients
The cupcake ingredients
- sifted all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter, softened
- granulated / regular sugar
- large eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- coconut milk
- desiccated coconut
- toasted shredded coconut for topping, unsweetened
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
Yield: 2 cups
- unsalted butter, softened
- cream cheese, softened
- sifted powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- coconut extract
Instructions for coconut cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and whisk until well combined, set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add in vanilla extract and half of the flour mixture at low speed.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and beat until combined, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix.
6. Using a spatula, gently fold in desiccated coconut.
7. Next, scoop out the batter into the cupcake pan and fill about ¾ full, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is cooked. (Check by inserting a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it’s done.)
8. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the cupcake pan,
9. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding your desired frosting.
10. Garnish the cupcakes with toasted coconut and serve.
Instructions for cream cheese frosting
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter and softened cream cheese until well blended and no clumps.
- Slowly add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, then add vanilla and coconut extract and beat until creamy.
- Use your favorite frosting tip, I used tip 1A.
Tips & Procedures
- If you can’t find desiccated coconut, you can use unsweetened shredded coconut, but the flavor of the cupcakes won’t be as prominent.
- If you want more of a stronger taste of coconut, add 1 teaspoon of coconut extract. But whatever you do, do not add more coconut extract- it’s powerful stuff
- I prefer topping my cupcakes with unsweetened coconut, but if you are only able to find sweetened shredded coconut that works too. Your cupcakes will be very sweet.
- Do not use coconut cream, coconut cream contains more fat and will alter the texture of the cupcake.
- Unfrosted cupcakes will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Frosted cupcakes up to 3 days
- Frosting can be refrigerated and piped before serving.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Toasted Coconut Cupcakes
Toasted Coconut Cupcakes.
Deliciously light and fluffy coconut cupcakes, with a coconut cream cheese frosting. Simple easy recipe for how to make perfect, moist cupcakes, ideal for parties and celebrations
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups or 190g sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup or 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup or 200g granulated/regular sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup or 175ml coconut milk
- ½ cup or 60g desiccated coconut
- 2 cups or 250g toasted shredded coconut for topping, unsweetened
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup or 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces or 225g cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups or 400g sifted powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and whisk until well combined, set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add in vanilla extract and half of the flour mixture at low speed.
- Pour in the coconut milk and beat until combined, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in desiccated coconut.
- Next, scoop out the batter into the cupcake pan and fill about ¾ full, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is cooked. (Check by inserting a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it’s done.)
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the cupcake pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding your desired frosting.
- Garnish the cupcakes with toasted coconut and serve.
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter and softened cream
cheese until well blended and no clumps. - Slowly add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, then add vanilla and coconut extract and beat until creamy.
- Use your favorite frosting tip, I used tip 1A.
For the frosting
Notes
- If you can’t find desiccated coconut, you can use unsweetened shredded coconut, but the flavor of the cupcakes won’t be as prominent.
- If you want more of a stronger taste of coconut, add 1 teaspoon of coconut extract. But whatever you do, do not add more coconut extract- it’s powerful stuff
- I prefer topping my cupcakes with unsweetened coconut, but if you are only able to find sweetened shredded coconut that works too. Your cupcakes will be very sweet.
- Do not use coconut cream, coconut cream contains more fat and will alter the texture of the cupcake.
- Unfrosted cupcakes will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Frosted cupcakes up to 3 days
- Frosting can be refrigerated and piped before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 615Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 77gFiber: 3gSugar: 60gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Sweet Dessert Coconut Cake Recipes
Here's a selection of our delicious cake recipes using coconut
Coconut Ricotta Cheesecake. A wonderful fluffy, soft & creamy baked cheesecake, out of this world!
Coconut, Pineapple and Pecan Upside Down Cake! This is a fun pineapple and coconut upside down cake, very easy to make and a great flavor combination. Throw in a handful of pecans too for extra yumminess! Very easy recipe
Coconut and Lime Pound Cake, a deliciously soft coconut cake with a splash of tangy lime.
Coconut Pound Loaf Cake. Really easy recipe with great results every time
Blueberry Coconut Pound Cake. A deliciously soft coconut cake with a sprinkling of juicy blueberries, made from scratch and really easy recipe
Cherry and Coconut Cake is a wonderful soft pound cake bursting with cherries in every bite! The flavor is out of this world!
A delicious pineapple combined with creamy coconut cake recipe, topped with fresh whipped cream and more coconut, making a soft and fluffy great tasting tropical cake
Strawberry and Coconut Ricotta Cheesecake. A delicious fluffy, creamy baked cheesecake with fresh strawberries and coconut in the filling and topped with a fresh strawberry puree. Very easy recipe too!
Strawberry and Coconut Poke Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream. Easy made from scratch recipe. Yummy!
Italian Cream Cake is a delicious tender made from scratch cake bursting with coconut, vanilla, and pecans, with cream cheese frosting. A perfect celebration cake
Celebration Coconut Cake.
Perfect for a celebration, this coconut cake is made up of layers of soft coconut cake sandwiched between lemon curd then frosted with a light and airy coconut frosting.