Cakes, tarts and pies | Coconut | Desserts | Easter | Holidays | Kid friendly | Parties and events | Spring | US/American | Vegetarian
Coconut Cupcakes (with Coconut Buttercream Frosting)
These delicious and adorable Coconut Cupcakes are easy to make and are a perfect treat for both everyday events and for festive occasions. The cupcakes are made with butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, baking soda and coconut milk. The coconut buttercream frosting is made with butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and coconut milk.
If I go to a bakery and pastry shop, I can easily be convinced to try anything with coconut. Even when trying a new cookie or cake recipe at home, I usually find myself contemplating variations with coconut. I love adding coconut to cheesecake bases, cookie crusts, sweet tart doughs or even empanada dough to give it a tropical twist.
To make these coconut cupcakes for a special occasion or themed party, you can simply customize their decoration and toppings based on the event you are going to serve them at. For example:
- For Easter: Top them with speckled egg candies.
- For Valentine’s Day: Add some heart shaped sprinkles or heart chocolates on top.
- For a Baby Shower: Use light blue or pink candies as your topping.
- For the 4th of July: Add Blue and Red sprinkles or little toothpick flags on top.
- For Christmas: Add Christmas Sprinkles, mini candy canes, marshmallow snowmen, or other holiday toppings.
Coconut Cupcakes (with Coconut Buttercream Frosting)
Recipe for homemade coconut cupcakes topped with a creamy coconut buttercream frosting, sweet coconut flakes, and your choice of festive sprinkles or candies.
Print
Pin
Your Questions and Comments
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the coconut cupcakes:
- ½ cup salted butter, room temperature – you can also use unsalted butter, just add 1/4 tsp salt to the batter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
For the coconut buttercream frosting:
- ½ cup salted or unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup canned full-fat coconut milk
For topping and decorating:
- Sweetened coconut flakes for topping
- Sweet candies: Use Easter egg candies for Easter theme – hearts for Valentine’s Day, light blue or pink candies for a baby shower, etc
Instructions
To make the coconut cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a 12-serving cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the mixing bowl and mix well.
- Add the coconut milk to the bowl and beat until the batter is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and beat once more to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- The batter should be very smooth and fluffy.
- Carefully pour the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake pan until each liner is about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Transfer the cupcakes onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the coconut frosting and decorating the cupcakes:
- Add the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and coconut milk to a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
- Spoon the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
- Top each cupcake with the shredded coconut flakes and your choice of festive candies.
- Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Photos of the step by step preparation process for making Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting:
Additional recipes to try:
1
Key Lime Cupcakes
Recipe for Key Lime Cupcakes topped with a citrusy cream cheese frosting, they are tender, moist, and perfectly tangy, with bright citrus flavor in every bite.
Check out this recipe
2
Tres Leches Cake
Traditional tres leches cake recipe, this authentic Latin dessert consists of a sponge cake soaked in a mix of three milks: condensed milk, evaporated milk and regular milk or cream, topped with a classic meringue frosting.
Check out this recipe
3
Orange Cake (Torta de Naranja)
This delicious cake is moist and full of fresh orange flavor. It is soaked with citrus syrup and topped with an orange glaze and caramelized orange slices.
Check out this recipe
4
Strawberry layer cake
Delicious and easy strawberry layer cake recipe made with layers of vanilla sponge cake, honey whipped cream, and fresh ripe strawberries.
Check out this recipe
5
Torta Chajá: Uruguayan cake with layers of meringue, dulce de leche and peaches
Torta Chajá is a traditional Uruguayan cake made with layers of fluffy sponge cake, crisp meringue, whipped cream, canned peaches, and dulce de leche.
Check out this recipe
6
Soursop Cake – Torta de Guanábana
This Venezuelan Torta de Guanábana or Soursop cake consists of layers of sponge cake filled with a soursop jam and condensed milk and decorated with Italian meringue.
Check out this recipe
7
Rhubarb upside-down cake
Recipe for a rhubarb upside-down cake, this cake is delicious and easy to make. The cake batter is made with flour, sugar, eggs, yogurt, oil, vanilla extract, orange or lemon zest, and chopped rhubarb.
Check out this recipe
8
Easy French apple cake
Delicious and easy to make French apple cake recipe made with only 4 simple ingredients: apples, sugar, flour and eggs.
Check out this recipe
9
Chocolate tres leches cake with dulce de leche frosting
Delicious chocolate tres leches cake topped with a creamy dulce de leche frosting and toasted coconut.
Check out this recipe
10
Alfajores: Dulce de leche sandwich cookies
Recipe for making homemade alfajores or dulce de leche sandwich cookies. These Latin American cookies are made with all purpose flour, cornstarch, butter, baking powder, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, milk, and vanilla. They are filled with caramel and decorated with coconut or icing sugar.
Check out this recipe
Cakes, tarts and pies, Coconut, Desserts, Easter, Holidays, Kid friendly, Parties and events, Spring, US/American, Vegetarian
Discover more from Laylita's Recipes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
