Light & moist coconut cupcakes with a dreamy coconut cream cheese frosting are just what you need to celebrate springtime. Bake up a dozen of these little white cakes packed with coconut flavor for Easter or any spring afternoon!
These impossibly soft coconut cupcakes get their coconut flavor from the addition of canned coconut milk and coconut flavor paste. The silky coconut cream cheese frosting is also flavored with coconut flavor paste and decorated with coconut shavings for maximum coconut flavor, as well as some springtime aesthetic😉.
For more spring related recipes, try Mini Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting, Small Batch Lemon Bars, Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, and Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf.
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Why you'll love these coconut cupcakes
- Impossibly Soft White Cupcakes: By using cake flour, the reverse creaming method, a butter-oil combination, AND whipped egg whites folded into the batter at the end, these white cupcakes bake up impossibly soft with an ultra fine, velvety crumb.
- Smooth Coconut Flavor: With the addition of canned coconut milk and coconut flavor paste, these cupcakes have a pronounced, smooth coconut flavor.
- Silky Cream Cheese Frosting: Everything is better with cream cheese frosting, and these cupcakes are no exception!
Ingredient Notes
- Cake Flour: Though it's not essential to make these cupcakes, cake flour achieves the softest crumb! Alternatively, you can use all-purpose flour
- Leavener: You'll need just baking powder to give these cupcakes the perfect rise & texture.
- Butter & Oil: To make these cupcakes super moist while maintaining that classic buttery flavor, this recipe uses an oil-butter combo.
- Coconut Milk: To add moisture and to bring out the coconut flavor, use canned coconut milk in the cupcake batter.
- Coconut Flavor Paste: Coconut flavor paste is very concentrated in flavor, making it perfect for bringing out the coconut flavor in these cupcakes. Alternatively, you can use coconut extract. I used ifiProvisions Coconut Flavor Paste. (Use the code SLOANESTABLE for 15% off site wide!)
- Eggs: To make these cupcakes white in color, as well as make the texture impossibly soft, you'll whip two egg whites to medium peaks, then fold them into the batter. Alternatively, you can use one whole egg, and mix it in with the wet ingredients, like in this Small Vanilla Cake Recipe.
- Cream Cheese: Be sure to use cold block-style cream cheese for the frosting!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this coconut cupcake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
STEP 2: Reverse creaming method. Cut up the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until it resembles wet sand.
STEP 3: Mix in the wet ingredients. Add the oil, unsweetened coconut milk, vanilla, and coconut flavor paste, and mix until just combined.
STEP 4: Whip the egg whites. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to medium peaks.
STEP 5: Fold the egg whites into the batter. Gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula until just combined.
STEP 6: Bake. Fill the cupcake liners about â…” of the way full. Bake cupcakes for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
STEP 7: Cool. Cool completely before decorating.
STEP 8: Make the coconut buttercream frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and coconut flavor paste on high speed until smooth. Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined. Once all of the powdered sugar is added, continue beating on low speed until no more lumps or pockets of air remain and the frosting is smooth.
STEP 9: Decorate. Decorate the cupcakes as desired.
STEP 10: Enjoy! Sprinkle with shredded coconut, and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Do not over-whip the egg whites. Whip the egg whites only to medium peaks. As you can see above, the peaks droop slightly - this is what you're looking for. Whipping them to stiff peaks will make the egg whites too dry, causing them to deflate as they're folded into the batter.
- Fill the cupcake liners â…” full. Over-filling the cupcakes can cause them to sink even though they're baked all the way through.
- Use cold cream cheese & room temperature butter. In order to create a sturdy, pipeable cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while room temperature butter will ensure all of the ingredients cream together properly.
- Sift the powdered sugar. I know it can be a pain, but trust me, sifting your powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting is so worth it! If you don't sift it, you'll need to mix the frosting on low speed for a long time to smooth it out. This also runs the risk of agitating the milk solids, creating a grainy frosting.
Recipe FAQs
The reverse creaming method is the process of beating room temperature butter into the dry ingredients. The fat coats the flour and inhibits the gluten from developing. With this method, the cake is sure to bake up flat without becoming too golden around the edges or on top. In contrast, the creaming method involves beating the sugar and butter together, which adds a lot of extra air into the batter. This is a great method for other bakes, but not with a white cake. With the reverse creaming method, the cake will bake up with an ultra fine, velvety crumb.Â
To make a cream cheese frosting that is smooth enough to decorate a cake, but sturdy enough to support thick cake layers I use 1 stick of butter for every ¾ block of cream cheese. Depending on your preference of sweetness, you can adjust the amount of powdered sugar slightly. For this recipe, I suggest about 1 ½ cups or 170g.
Room Temp: Frosted or unfrosted, these cupcakes last for about 5 days in an airtight container.
Freezer: Unfrosted, store these cupcakes in a freezer ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other Easter Recipes to Try
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📖 Recipe
Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the coconut cupcakes:
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) cake flour
- 170 g (¾ cup + 1 ½ tbsp) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 76 g (5 ½ tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- 65 g (â…“ cup) light tasting extra virgin olive oil
- 227 g (1 cup) unsweetened canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coconut flavor paste
- 2 egg whites
For the coconut cream cheese frosting:
- 113 g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temp
- 170 g (6 oz) block-style cream cheese, cold
- 170 g (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon coconut flavor paste
- Coconut flakes, for sprinkling
Instructions
For the coconut cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Add cupcake liners to a muffin pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut up the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until it resembles wet sand.
- Add the oil, coconut milk, vanilla, and coconut flavor paste, and mix until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to medium peaks. Gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners about â…” of the way full.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool completely before decorating.
For the coconut cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and coconut flavor paste on high speed until smooth.
- Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Once all of the powdered sugar is added, continue beating on low speed until no more lumps or pockets of air remain and the frosting is smooth.
- Decorate the cupcakes and top each with coconut flakes as desired.
Notes
- Do not over-whip the egg whites. Whip the egg whites only to medium peaks. As you can see above, the peaks droop slightly - this is what you're looking for. Whipping them to stiff peaks will make the egg whites too dry, causing them to deflate as they're folded into the batter.Â
- Fill the cupcake liners ⅔ full. Over-filling the cupcakes can cause them to sink even though they're baked all the way through.Â
- Use cold cream cheese & room temperature butter. In order to create a sturdy, pipeable cream cheese frosting, pay close attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Cold cream cheese will ensure it's thick enough, while room temperature butter will ensure all of the ingredients cream together properly.Â
- Sift the powdered sugar. I know it can be a pain, but trust me, sifting your powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting is so worth it! If you don't sift it, you'll need to mix the frosting on low speed for a long time to smooth it out. This also runs the risk of agitating the milk solids, creating a grainy frosting.Â
Cheryl says
How much coconut extract do I use in place of coconut paste? Or is there a way to make coconut paste?
Sloane says
Hi Cheryl,
I have not tested this recipe with coconut extract, but I believe 1-2 tsp would be more than enough.