Can you believe we haven’t added a Coconut Cupcake Recipe to our mini-dessert recipes? These are an essential summer cupcake recipe so I knew we needed to rectify that immediately.
Now, I’ve tasted one too many bad Coconut Cupcake Recipes so believe me – I am picky. If you’ve had similar bad experiences, I definitely want to encourage you to give this one a try. The coconut flavour is subtle and derived from real coconut, not a nasty artificial extract with an overpowering scent.
(Artificial coconut extract has it’s place – in play dough. It has no business in cupcakes! Or pina coladas for that matter…)
It’s also really easy to go overboard with the coconut – using coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut shreds, and coconut cream! I have made this recipe with coconut cream or whole milk and really nice the taste either way, but it’s probably best to start slow and increase the coconut slowly every time you make this recipe until you hit that coconut satiety point.
I personally find a bit of toasted coconut on top of the baked cupcakes and just a dash of coconut cream in the frosting is a good, safe bet if you are serving these to guests, and that pineapple juice in the cupcake batter really helps balance things out and bring out that tropical flavour.
Of course, these would make delicious coconut muffins, maybe you would also want to sprinkle some pineapple on the top (or garnish with a pineapple ring).
Or, you can leave off that additional sprinkle of coconut shreds on the frosting – or swap the fresh coconut shreds out for an additional sprinkle of toasted coconut shreds. This is a great recipe to have a bit of fun and be creative with!
- 1 cup butter softened at room temperature
- ½ cup shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 eggs room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup buttermilk or coconut cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- For the frosting:
- 1 cup butter
- 2 Tablespoon shortening
- 3-5 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup shredeed coconut
- 2 Tablespoons pineapple juice or coconut cream if needed
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Preheat oven to 350F.
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Blend the butter, shortening, and sugar together with a mixer until light and frothy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, and then the vanilla.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
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Add the pineapple juice to the sugar-butter mixture, mix fully, then half of the flour, mix, then the milk or coconut cream, and then the rest of the flour mixture.
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Stir in the shredded coconut and then portion out into a lined muffin tray.
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Bake 18-22 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
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For the frosting, blend the shortening, butter, and sugar, adding just a bit of pineapple juice or coconut cream to reach your desired consistency. I used a large round Wilton tip.
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Garnish with optional coconut shreds.
Are you willing to give our Coconut Cupcake Recipe a try? I promise it will be worth your while!
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