Moist and fluffy coconut cupcakes made with coconut milk and coconut extract for rich flavor in every bite. Topped with creamy coconut cream cheese frosting, they’re an irresistible dessert!

coconut cupcakes on counter

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Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Coconut cupcakes are elegant, classy and made with 3 types of coconut which gives them the best coconut flavor! The luscious coconut frosting on top, well that’s just the icing on the coconut cake! ;)

These light and fluffy coconut cupcakes are easy to make just like my vanilla cupcakes from scratch and the simple elegance of the white on white is stunning for wedding showers, baby showers, or as an Easter dessert!

Recipe Ingredients

coconut cupcake ingredients on counter
  • Coconut milk delivers a rich and creamy texture to the batter. Use full fat coconut milk from a can, which includes the cream layer on top. 
  • Coconut flakes on top of the frosting adds a delicate finishing touch. Sometimes I like to use toasted coconut for a little something extra.
  • Coconut extract gets added to both the cupcakes and the frosting on top because if nothing else, these cupcakes should be coconut-y! 
  • Coconut frosting: Remember to soften cream cheese so it creams better with the other ingredients.

How to Make Coconut Cupcakes

coconut cupcake collage
  1. Make cupcake batter: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small or medium bowl and set it aside. Using a mixer, cream butter, oil and sugar. Then add eggs, vanilla and coconut extract. Combine wet and dry ingredients.
  2. Fill cupcake liners: Divide batter into each of the paper liners into the muffin cups to about 3/4 full to prevent overfill or worse yet cupcakes that deflate.
  3. Bake cupcakes. Transfer the cupcake pan to a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cupcakes spring back when touched. You can also test with a toothpick. If it comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cupcake, it’s clean. Cool.
  4. Make frosting and decorate. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle some coconut flakes on top, if desired. 

Coconut Cupcakes Frosting

I love to pair these with a coconut cream cheese frosting, but a plain cream cheese frosting works, too!

Other frosting alternatives to try include this buttercream frosting or vanilla frosting recipe.

To decorate the cupcakes, you can pipe the frosting or just spoon it on!

coconut cupcake on marble counter

Baking Tips

  • Measure flour correctly. Using the spoon and level method to measure your flour will ensure accuracy. Too much flour and you’ll end up with dense cupcakes. 
  • Start with room temperature ingredients. Bring the butter and cream cheese out about 1 hour before starting, but also consider bringing your eggs and coconut milk to room temperature too. This makes for even baking from start to finish.
  • Don’t overmix. Overmixing leads to heavy, dense cupcakes. 
  • No piping bag for frosting the cupcake? Use a Ziploc bag instead. Cut the tip with scissors and carefully pipe the frosting through the hole. It probably won’t be as neat, but it will still be as yummy! 
  • If using an electric mixer for the batter, make sure it’s on low speed. If you’re using it for the frosting, then a higher speed is fine. 
  • Unsalted butter. I use unsalted because there is added salt in the cupcake ingredients. If salted butter is all you have, consider eliminating the extra salt or using less. 
bite taken out of coconut cupcakes

More spring desserts to try include coconut macaroon Easter nests, easy vanilla cupcakes or these lemon raspberry cupcakes!

More Cupcake Recipes

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bite taken out of coconut cupcakes

Coconut Cupcakes

5 from 7 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12
Moist and fluffy coconut cupcakes made with coconut milk and coconut extract for rich flavor in every bite. Topped with creamy coconut cream cheese frosting, they’re an irresistible dessert!
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Ingredients 

Cupcakes

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup butter , 4 Tablespoons softened
  • ⅓ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract
  • ½ cup coconut milk

Frosting

  • ½ cup butter
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean)
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract
  • Coconut , for topping (optional)

Instructions

Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
  • Whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl mix together 1/4 cup butter, 1/3 cup oil and 3/4 cup sugar. Scrape the sides of your bowl, and then add 2 eggs along with 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract.
  • Alternate between adding the flour mixture and coconut milk. Scrape the side of the bowl, and give it one last good mix. Divide the batter between you liners, each should be 3/4 full.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes. The cupcakes are done when they spring back when touched, or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place your cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting

  • Start by creaming together 1/2 cup butter and 3 ounces cream cheese. Add 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract. Whip until your desired consistency has formed.
  • Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle coconut on top if desired.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Butter: Make sure to leave the butter out an hour before making or follow these tips on how to soften butter.
Coconut: I prefer using sweetened coconut flakes. You can use unsweetened if preferred. Toasted coconut would also be delicious on top.
Make ahead: These cupcakes can be made 24 hours in advance and stored in an air tight container until ready to frost. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 224mg, Potassium: 116mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 489IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

FAQs

Are these the same cupcakes that Ina Garten makes?

Nope! The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook has a slightly different version that uses buttermilk in her cupcakes and almond extract in her frosting. Both would be neat to try! 

Can I use coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour?

I wouldn’t. It’s gluten-free, and although I get where you’re going with the flavor theme, working with other types of flour can get tricky. You would need to make adjustments to other ingredients to make up for it which would alter the recipe as written.

Can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?

Bake them a day in advance, keep them covered in an airtight container once they’ve had a chance to cool, then frost them just before serving.