Hello coconut lovers, I have a delicious treat for you, Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting. This easy recipe starts with a boxed cake mix and bakes up moist and decadent to become a dreamy coconut dessert.
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Light and fluffy and full of flavor, these cupcakes with coconut are a favorite. Every bite is filled with coconut. The soft billowy coconut frosting is lightly sweetened and creamy and is flavored with coconut extract then topped with sweetened shredded coconut.
Make these gourmet-tasting cupcakes with a box mix then fancy it up with some extra ingredients. Adding coconut milk and flaked coconut flavors to the batter, and coconut extract flavors the buttercream for a triple delicious treat.
Jump to:
Cupcake Ingredients
Making this box cake taste better
Cake Mix - use a 15.25-ounce white cake mix.
Butter - Skip the vegetable oil the box recipe calls for and add melted butter for better flavor and extra richness in a cake.
Canned coconut milk - will not only add coconut flavor but adds fat and moisture to the cake. Make sure you are using coconut milk, not coconut cream.
Egg whites - adding four egg white adds moisture and fluffiness to the cake for a soft tender crumb. And just using the egg whites keeps the cake white instead of yellow.
Icing ingredients
Notes about the icing ingredients
Coconut flavoring - To flavor the icing I used a deeply flavored coconut paste, but you can also use coconut extract which has a watery consistency, however, you may need to use more of the extract to get the coconut flavor you want in the icing.
Let's bake
Mixing these cupcakes is very simple, here is how to mix up the batter, and whip up the icing
Step 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. and place paper liners in a cupcake pan.
Step 2. In a large mixing bowl add the cake mix, melted butter, and egg whites then mix with an electric mixer or a stand mixer on low speed until blended.
Step 3. Add the coconut milk to the bowl and mix at low speed.
Step 4. Once the milk is combined, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for a minute until the batter is smooth and thick, scrape the bowl occasionally.
Step 5. Add the coconut to the batter and stir with a spoon until completely mixed. When done the batter will be thick.
Step 6. Fill the cupcake papers about ⅔ full, this should be about 3 tablespoons, or use a #20 cookie scoop for the best results. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-24 minutes.
Step 7. Make the icing by adding the powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. I like to mix the sugar with the mixer on low speed to whisk it and break up any lumps.
Step 8. Add the room temperature butter and mix on low speed to mix in the butter, then increase the speed to medium and continue beating for a minute.
Step 9. Add the milk, corn syrup, and coconut extract then mix on medium speed until the icing becomes light and fluffy for 2 minutes. If the icing is too thick add additional milk.
Note - if using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment.
Step 10. Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip, I use 2D, then fill the bag with frosting. Pipe the icing on top of the cooled cupcake to make a rosette, then top with coconut.
This is why these cupcakes are so good, there is three times the coconut in every bite, in the cake, in the frosting, and coconut on top!!!
Using box mixes makes baking convenient and fast, and is perfect to get kids started in the kitchen.
- These Peanut Butter Cup Brownies start with a box mix and turn into a decadent chocolate dessert made with only six ingredients.
- If you are a lemon lover then grab a lemon cake mix and a can of Mountain Dew and bake this fabulous Mountain Dew Bundt cake.
- Black Cupcakes are perfect for a Halloween dessert or even a fancy black-tie dessert. Black cocoa powder is what gives these cupcakes their deep dark color.
Now if you want to go totally gourmet, these Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting are our tribute to baseball season. Don't forget to top with the classic Cracker Jacks popcorn.
For the citrus lover bake these Orange Cupcakes with a sweet orange buttercream.
A quick view
Variations
- If you like toasted coconut you can add that into the batter or sprinkle toasted coconut on top. Or, you can do both.
- Feel free to use a yellow cake mix, or try a lemon cake mix.
- If you don't have a pastry bag and tip, just frost the cupcake the old-fashioned way with a knife and pile on the frosting, then sprinkle on the coconut.
- You can always bake this batter in a 13-inch cake pan for 18 to 20 minutes, then frost the top and serve. Or make mini cupcakes.
- If you prefer to keep things really easy, you can make the box cake as directed and just add the coconut to the batter plus I would add a teaspoon of coconut extract for flavor.
- These cupcakes are fun to serve at Easter and you can tint the coconut with food coloring in pretty Easter colors. You can even add some chocolate eggs on top too!
FAQ's
Room temperature ingredients mix together better and become more homogenous and smooth. It is easier to aerate a smooth batter over a lumpy batter which creates a fluffier and lighter baked good.
These have two different consistencies with the coconut milk having the consistency of cow's milk and is just coconut and water. Coconut cream is made from coconut milk and is the thick layer of cream that floats to the top when making coconut milk.
More great desserts
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Recipe
Easy Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 15.25 ounce White Cake Mix
- ½ cup Unsalted butter melted
- 4 Eggs using the egg white only
- 1 13.5 ounce Coconut milk
- 1 cup Sweetened flaked coconut
Coconut Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 1 cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- 2-3 tablespoons Whole milk
- 2 tablespoons Light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon Coconut extract
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
Cupcake Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350° F. Place paper liners in a cupcake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, or use a stand mixer bowl, add the cake mix, melted butter, and the egg white. Using an electric mixer, mix at low speed for one minute to combine the ingredients.
- Pour the can of coconut milk into the mixing bowl and mix at low speed to combine the milk into the batter, then turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for one minute until the batter is smooth and thick. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Add the coconut to the bowl and mix in with a spoon.
- Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔ full. This is usually about 3 tablespoons of batter for use a number 20 scoop to easily add the batter.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18 - 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done, then remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then place on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Frosting Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the powdered sugar and mix and low speed for 30 seconds with an electric mixer to break up any lumps of sugar. You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add the room temperature butter to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed to incorporate the butter, then increase the speed to medium and beat for one minute.
- Add 2 tablespoons of milk, corn syrup, and coconut extract to the mixing bowl and beat on medium speed to incorporate the ingredients, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix for 2 minutes until the frosting becomes smooth and fluffy. If the icing is too thick add an additional tablespoon of milk.Taste the icing and if you want more of a coconut flavor beat in additional coconut extract.
Frosting the cupcakes
- Using an icing knife or a butter knife, spread the tops of the cupcakes with swirls of frosting then sprinkle with coconut. To make a rosette on top of the cupcake fit a pastry bag with a 2D icing tip then fill the bag with the frosting. Pipe the icing on top of the cupcake then sprinkle with coconut.
Storing the cupcake
- Store any uneaten cupcakes in an airtight container for up to three days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog. Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days, I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? My contact information is on my about page, and I’ll be happy to help.
About Jere'
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
Amy Liu Dong
I'm a cupcakes lover, this recipe will make it on my list. Plus the coconut added to this makes it so tasty then you added a frosting that makes it enticing to the eyes.
Bernice
We are big fans of anything coconut in this house. I baked up a batch of these for my sister's birthday and they were a huge hit. The only thing I changed was toasting the coconut before I garnished the cupcakes.
Jerika
I love how these Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting are simple to make and have easy steps to follow.:) Thank you for this recipe!:) I will be sharing it.
The Sudden Cook
My kids would love this! Great recipe - hope to try out soon:)
Addie
These cupcakes are sooo yummy!
Agnieszka
Made these for my son's birthday and they were a huge hit! This recipe really elevated boxed cake mix!
Megan Ellam
I love a good simple and tasty recipe just like this one. Thanks for sharing Jere.
nancy
really love this coconut frosting - so tropical and tasty
amanda
These cupcakes are so delicious! Great flavor, thanks!
Kayla DiMaggio
These coconut cupcakes were so delicious! I loved the coconut flavor and how easy they were to make!
Jeannie
I love coconut desserts and the coconut buttercream frosting is new to me, cant wait to try this!
Jacqueline Debono
Coconut everything is my granddaughters favourite so bookmarking this recipe for when she next comes to visit!
Anindya Sundar Basu
Not a die hard fan of coconut but a huge fan of cup cakes and now I am interested in trying out this to figure out how it tastes. Merry Christmas and happy festive season to you and your family.
Shikha
In India, we use lots of coconut and it’s easily available everywhere. So I’ll surely try this recipe.
Deborah
I love recipes that use cake mixes. And adding coconut to a buttercream frosting is so yummy! One of my favorites!