Coconut cupcakes
Coconut cupcakes are for anyone who loves coconut through and through: the cake is made with coconut milk and desiccated coconut, so it is soft and moist with a light, pleasant chew. On top sits a silky coconut buttercream covered in fragrant golden toasted coconut. Snowy white like little snowflakes, they are perfect for the holiday season.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Rising or chilling
- 40 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 37 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Cupcake batter
Coconut buttercream
Toasted coconut topping
Instructions
Step 1
Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature, preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius and line twelve muffin cups with paper liners. Ingredients that are not cold blend together easily, giving a fine, even crumb. You are ready when the butter is soft enough to dent and the oven has reached temperature.
Step 2
Put 30 g desiccated coconut for the topping in a nonstick skillet and toast over low heat, stirring constantly for about three to four minutes, then tip it onto a plate to cool. Toasting brings out the coconut's rich aroma and gives it a lovely golden color. The coconut is ready when it is unevenly light golden and clearly fragrant.
Step 3
Sift 190 g all-purpose flour with 7 g baking powder and a pinch salt, then stir 40 g desiccated coconut into the bowl. Mixing the coconut with the dry ingredients spreads the shreds evenly so they do not sink to the bottom. The mixture is ready when it is light and fine and speckled with white coconut shreds.
Step 4
Beat 115 g unsalted butter with 180 g granulated sugar on medium speed for about four minutes, scraping down the bowl once halfway through. Well-creamed butter holds air, helping the cupcakes rise light despite the fairly heavy coconut. The butter is ready when it is ivory, fluffy and clings to the beater in soft peaks.
Step 5
Add 100 g beaten eggs to the butter a little at a time along with 4 g vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Adding the eggs slowly keeps the butter from curdling. The mixture is ready when it is silky and glossy with no streaks of runny egg at the bottom of the bowl.
Step 6
Turn off the mixer, add a third of the dry ingredients and mix gently, then add half of the 120 g coconut milk, alternating this way until everything is in and finishing with the dry ingredients. Shake the can of coconut milk well before weighing, since the cream usually separates to the top. Alternating keeps the batter from clumping or turning watery. The batter is ready when it is thick and smooth, creamy white and just free of dry streaks.
Step 7
Divide the batter among the twelve cups with an ice cream scoop, filling each about two thirds full, then smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. Equal amounts of batter help the cupcakes bake at the same time and rise to the same height. You are done when the tops are level and the cups all look identical.
Step 8
Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for about 18 to 22 minutes, until the cupcakes are domed and the edges at the base are light golden. Coconut cupcakes should keep pale tops, so do not wait for the tops to brown. The cupcakes are done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
Step 9
Leave the cupcakes in the pan for five minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely for about forty minutes. Buttercream will melt if it meets a warm cupcake. The cupcakes are ready to frost when their bottoms feel completely cool to the touch.
Step 10
Beat 120 g softened unsalted butter for about two minutes until fluffy, gradually add 220 g powdered sugar and a pinch salt, then add 25 g thick coconut cream and beat on high speed for about three minutes more. Using coconut cream instead of milk gives the frosting a clear coconut flavor while still holding its shape. The frosting is ready when it is smooth and white, light and fluffy and holds its shape when scooped.
Step 11
Spread or pipe the frosting into a dome on top of each cupcake, then gently press the top into the plate of toasted coconut or sprinkle the coconut over until fully covered. Coating with coconut right after frosting helps it stick before the frosting firms up. The cupcakes are finished when the frosting is completely covered in golden coconut with no bare spots.
Equipment
- Oven
- Muffin tin
- Hand mixer
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Piping bag
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Wire cooling rack
- Nonstick skillet
Tips
- Canned coconut milk gives more consistent results than homemade, because its fat content is always the same.
- For an even stronger coconut flavor, add a few drops of coconut extract to both the batter and the buttercream.
- Long-shred coconut gives a pretty, fluffy look, while short-shred coconut sticks more easily and coats more evenly.
Storage
Frosted cupcakes keep for one day in a cool, airy place or for three days in an airtight container in the fridge. Take them out about twenty minutes before eating so the buttercream softens again.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The cupcakes are dry and crumbly.
- The desiccated coconut soaked up moisture or the cupcakes baked too long. Soak the coconut for the batter in the coconut milk for about ten minutes first and take the cupcakes out as soon as the skewer just comes out clean.
- The buttercream is grainy and weeping.
- The coconut cream was colder than the butter, so the butter seized into little bits. Let the coconut cream come to room temperature, or warm the sides of the bowl gently with a warm towel and keep beating.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
