Coconut Cupcakes

Make these delicious coconut cupcakes with soft and moist cupcake base recipe flavored with shredded coconut and topped with a whipped coconut ganache frosting. This recipe is so easy to make at home and perfect for the holidays or any other occasion.

this recipe

If you like coconut flavor in all your desserts and cakes, then you won't be able to resist this absolutely delicious coconut cupcakes recipe.

A recipe loaded with coconut to please all the coconut lovers out there, a soft and moist cupcake base with a light and fluffy coconut frosting topping.

To make this recipe you will only need to make 2 preparations, my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, flavored with shredded coconut which adds an incredible texture, and its topping made with a white chocolate ganache flavored with coconut.

Sprinkle some coconut flakes on top of these cupcakes and add some Raffaello for extra indulgence and you'll have the perfect cupcakes for special occasions, holiday celebrations, birthdays or just to share with family.

>>See all cupcake recipes on the blog

Compositions and ingredients

Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe and possible substitutions, scroll down to see the quantities in the recipe card.

Coco cupcakes

• Butter: Use unsalted butter with at least 80% fat content, take it out in advance, it must be softened or warm it up slightly in the microwave.
• Sugar: preferably white granulated sugar, which can be replaced by brown sugar.
• Eggs: large eggs at room temperature.
• Flavoring and salt: Essential for flavoring, use vanilla extract and natural coconut flavor, and salt is needed to bring out the flavors.
• Coconut cream: You can use unsweetened coconut cream, or canned coconut milk, you can substitute it with buttermilk, heavy cream, plain yogurt or simply semi-skimmed milk.
• Flour: All-purpose flour or cake flour that you can replace with a gluten-free flour mix.
• Yeast: baking powder or baking soda.
• Coconut: optional shredded coconut flakes add more flavor and coconut texture to the cupcakes, you can replace them with toasted coconut, desiccated coconut or coconut flour.

Coconut frosting

• White chocolate: For a less sweet-tasting frosting , use quality baking white chocolate chips with at least 28 - 30% cocoa butter.
• Heavy cream: Divided into 2 parts, use heavy cream with at least 30% fat or heavy whipping cream.
• Coconut cream: use coconut cream and definitely full-fat coconut milk.

>> See all frosting recipes

⚠️ You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

How to make coconut cupcakes

1 - Making Cupcakes

1. Place softened butter and sugar and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until creamy and smooth.
2. Then add eggs, vanilla extract, coconut extract and coconut cream and mix again on medium speed for 1 minute to incorporate.

Tips: Use room-temperature ingredients and an electric mixer or your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or the whisk attachment.

2 - Baking

1. Add the flour mixture, flour, baking powder, salt and grated coconut.
2. Mix with a spatula to incorporate them gently and until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a cupcake tin with the cupcake liners.
4. Fill each cupcake liners with the cupcake batter.
5. Bake cupcakes for 15 - 18 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
6. Check for baking by gently sticking a toothpick into the center of a cupcake, if it is fully baked, the toothpick should come out clean.
7. Let the cupcakes cool a bit before removing from the pan and letting them cool completely on a wire rack.

Tip: Fill each baking cup no more than ¾ full as they will puff up during baking and to prevent them from overflowing.

3 - Coconut frosting

1. Place the white chocolate, finely chopped with a knife, in a large bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until it boils, then pour it all at once over the white chocolate.
3. Mix until you have a smooth liquid ganache.
4. Add the cold heavy cream and coconut cream and mix again to incorporate.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Tip: You can run an immersion blender through the hot ganache to smooth it out completely.

4 - Decorate the cupcakes

1. Beat the cooled coconut ganache with an electric mixer at medium speed (or slow speed, but not fast) for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and firm.
2. Prepare a piping bag with a decorating tip (here 1B) and fill it with the coconut ganache.
3. Swirl coconut ganache over each cooled cupcakes, add a sprinkle of coconut flakes or decorate with Raffaello and serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Tip: Be careful when whipping the ganache, keep an eye on the texture, it should firm up, if you whip it too much it might get grainy and you will have a lumpy frosting.

Conservation

In the fridge: Coconut cupcakes with frosting can only be kept in the fridge because the whipped ganache is fragile and must be kept in the refrigerator to avoid any risk of food intoxication. Place them in an airtight container box under plastic wrap.

Room temperature: You can store the cupcakes by themselves (without the topping) in a storage box for about 1 week.

For room-temperature cupcakes, make a coconut buttercream frosting, a coconut cream cheese frosting or a Swiss meringue buttercream flavored with a coconut extract.

How to freeze: You can freeze cupcakes decorated with frosting for up to 3 months in the freezer, placed in a storage box.

More cupcake recipes

• Chocolate cupcakes
• High hat cupcakes
• Lemon cupcakes with mascarpone frosting
• Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
• Vanilla cupcakes

Coconut recipes

• Coconut balls Raffaello
• Coconut cake
• White chocolate and coconut truffles
• Coconut frosting

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