Coconut Cupcakes

Celebrate spring and Easter with small batch Coconut Cupcakes! They’re made from scratch using coconut milk, shredded coconut, and coconut extract then decorated with a homemade coconut frosting. It’s a trifecta of coconut flavor!

I’m not sure why but every time I think of Easter dessert, I think of coconut.

Maybe because I’ve seen recipes where shredded coconut represents a bunny’s fur or dyed green for grass.

Maybe because it’s often paired with small carrot cake and carrots = bunnies.

Or maybe because it’s springtime and coconut is just a very warm flavor to have around.

Regardless of the reason, I made these small batch Coconut Cupcakes you can serve with your Easter dinner for two, for birthdays, or for a fun celebration.

This coconut cupcake recipe was inspired by my dad who absolutely loves coconut.

Usually for his birthday or Father’s Day I make him my small coconut cake recipe, but I decided to take that batter and turn them into cupcakes.

They’re 6 coconut cupcakes made with three different types of coconut – coconut milk, shredded coconut, and coconut extract – so there are nutty tropical notes in every bite.

And as if that’s not enough nuttiness for you, I decorated them with my coconut frosting and sprinkled even more coconut on top.

Close your eyes, take a bite, and imagine you’re transported to a warm tropical island without any adult responsibilities.

Ingredients For Coconut Cupcakes

Here’s what you need to make your coconut cupcake recipe:

• Flour: Normally you’d use cake flour but because I know most households don’t have any, I incorporated an easy substitute using both flour and cornstarch so you don’t have to worry about converting it yourself.
• Cornstarch: Because we’re not using cake flour, cornstarch makes up for the gluten difference. If you do have cake flour, swap this for additional cake flour.
• Baking powder: Much needed leavening agent so your cake rises. Make sure it’s fresh and not expired.
• Salt: Ensures your cupcakes aren’t bland
• Sugar: Sweetens the batter
• Butter: Helps the cake rise from its steam when it melts, trapping carbon dioxide in the batter as it bakes to create a tender crumb as well as adds flavor.
• Egg: Use a standard large egg at room temperature.
• Coconut extract: Helps add more coconut flavor. Otherwise the coconut flavor from the coconut milk is very subtle.
• Vanilla extract: I still like to add some vanilla when using other extracts just to bring out more flavor
• Coconut milk: From a can, not the dairy section. See below for more info
• Shredded coconut: I use sweetened coconut because that’s what is readily available in the baking aisle.

What is canned coconut milk?

Before we start baking our coconut cupcakes, we need to talk about coconut milk.

Canned coconut milk is a creamy, rich liquid made by pureeing together shredded coconut meat and water.

You can often find cans in the Asian, Mexican, and baking aisles of your grocery store. This is NOT the coconut milk you find in the dairy aisle. Those are much thinner and won’t work.

The label will say coconut milk. Not cream of coconut. Not coconut water. And always buy the normal version and not lite. It won’t have enough fat if it’s lite.

Now that you have your can, let’s talk about what it is exactly.

Coconut milk is made up of two parts: the coconut cream and the coconut liquid.

Most of the time when you open a can, you’ll see the cream (the solid part) sitting on top. Once you dump the can, you’ll notice the liquid underneath.

You want to make sure these parts are equally distributed before using. Dump everything into a large bowl or measuring cup then stir until it becomes one rich and creamy liquid.

It should now be a smooth pourable liquid you can measure, much like regular milk (except thicker).

What To Do With Leftover Coconut Milk

You’re going to have leftover canned coconut milk, so what do you make with it? Check out my recipes using coconut milk, including coconut milk pancakes, coconut milk hot chocolate, and more!

How To Make Coconut Cupcakes

Here’s how to make your coconut cupcake recipe:

1. Sift together flour and cornstarch then stir in baking powder and salt.
2. Beat together sugar and butter until light and creamy.
3. Add egg, coconut extract, and vanilla.
4. Alternate adding flour with the coconut milk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with dry ingredients). Stir in the coconut.
5. Fill paper liners evenly. I personally fill my cupcakes by adding one big scoop with my #40 cookie scoop into the bottom of each liner then I go back and finish filling each one with the remaining batter.
6. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Decorate with frosting once completely cooled.

Should you toast the coconut?

I did not toast the coconut because I wanted a white coconut cake, but you can certainly toast if you want.

Spread the coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet then bake at 350F for about 5-10 minutes.

Best Frosting For Coconut Cupcakes

Now that your cupcakes are done, it’s time to decorate!

As mentioned earlier I used my coconut frosting for double the coconut flavor.

However if you’re looking for another flavor, you can use one of these:

• Lemon Buttercream Frosting
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• Strawberry Buttercream
• Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Still looking for a different flavor? Check out my full list of frosting recipes.

Do I need to refrigerate coconut cupcakes?

You do not need to refrigerate if you’re using a buttercream frosting because the coconut frosting uses a good amount of powdered sugar, it’s safe to leave out at room temperature for 2-3 days.

However frosting does tend to melt if it’s too warm because of the butter’s melting point, so you may want to refrigerate in the summer.

You do need to refrigerate if using a cream cheese frosting though.

More Small Batch Cupcake Recipes

Looking for more small batch cupcakes? Here are some of my favorites:

• Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
• Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
• Lemon Cupcakes
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Strawberry Cupcakes
• Banana Cupcakes