Honey’s Coconut Cupcakes
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Named for my great-grandmother “Honey,” these old-fashioned coconut cupcakes are tender and super coconut-y.
They say that traits usually skip a generation, but in my case, they skipped two. My great grandmother, who was called “Honey” by everyone who knew her, was a baker and caterer. She baked cakes for the whole city of Buffalo, New York, and was especially well known for her coconut cake. Unfortunately, there was no real recipe left when she passed, only scribbled notes on an old index card from my mom’s green tin recipe box. Once I became the family baker, I took it upon myself to recreate Honey’s famous coconut cake and coconut cupcakes. It was a challenge to get it as “coconut-y” as the original but finally, I nailed it. The trick was adding coconut milk and shredded coconut to both the cake and the frosting.
Here’s a little video showing how the coconut cupcakes are made. Enjoy!
Coconut Cupcakes Video Tutorial
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Honey's Coconut Cupcakes
Named for my great-grandmother “Honey,” these old-fashioned coconut cupcakes are tender and super coconut-y.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
For the Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
- Pinch of salt
- 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut, for topping
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Lightly spray the top of the pans with a nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking Spray with Flour, just in case the cupcake tops stick to the pan (don’t worry if the spray gets in the liners).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the speed down to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the coconut milk–lemon juice mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining coconut milk–lemon juice mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture, then scrape down the bowl and beat again until the batter is just combined. Quickly mix in the shredded coconut; do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling each cup about three-fourths full. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until the cupcakes are set, lightly golden, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean (note that one pan may finish baking before the other). Let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy and well combined. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, and then beat in the vanilla, coconut milk, and salt.
- When the cupcakes are completely cooled, use a butter knife or small offset spatula to swirl the frosting lavishly over the top. Sprinkle with the shredded coconut, pressing it gently so it adheres, and serve.
- MAKE AHEAD: The cupcakes can be made and frosted up to 1 day ahead of time. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Note: The frosting ingredients in this recipe have been updated from the first printing of the book, so you'll notice a few minor tweaks. (This is the updated version.)
- Note: Adding cornstarch to the flour mimics cake flour, which makes a lighter and more delicate cake.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (24 servings)
- Serving size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 407
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Sugar: 41 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 154 mg
- Cholesterol: 69 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Made these today – just licking the frosting off my lips actually 🙂 They are truly outstanding. So moist and not as sweet as I was thinking they might be. They are perfect. Thank you for a great recipe.
Can these be made as mini cupcakes (using a mini cupcake tin)? Would there need to be any alterations or would the recipe be fine as is? Thanks!
I think that’d be fine, Sara – you’ll just need to reduce the baking time. I’d start checking around 8 to 10 min.
Thank you so much for the quick reply! These will be perfect for a teacher appreciation week dessert bar! 🙂
Jenn,
Shame on me for not reading the previous questions! You have already provided all the info I need for a cake. Thanks !
Gary
No worries! Please lmk how it turns out if you try it, Gary. 🙂
I was planning to make these; then I noticed 41 grams of sugar/cupcake. Wow! By how much could the sugar be reduced and still retain a good tasting coconut cupcake?
Hi Pearl, you could cut the sugar in the batter back to 1 3/4 cups. For the frosting, you could probably get away with using about 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar (you’ll very likely need less coconut milk for the frosting if you’re using less sugar, just play with the amounts until you get the right consistency). (You can also put less frosting on each cupcake. Hope that helps!
Thank you for that great story about “ Honey”. And the step by step video. I WILL be making these cupcakes!!
Question: Would the batter for Honey’s Triple Coconut Cupcakes be successful as a layer cake, 8 or 9 ” or other measurement? If so, would you suggest doubling the frosting recipe? Thanks so much. I love your weekly emails and eagerly wait to receive your book.
Michele Hendrickson
Hi Michele, I think you could bake this batter in two 9-inch cake pans (spray them with baker’s joy, line the bottoms of the pans w/parchment, then spray them again). You’ll likely need to increase the frosting by 1.5x. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it!
“1 can of coconut milk” doesn’t tell us much. Stores carry cans of coconut milk in various sizes, right?
It would be helpful to specify HOW MUCH (i.e., a useable measurement in ml, oz, etc.) coconut milk to use, rather than a vague mention of how many containers of unknown size to use.
Hi HC, the recipe specifies that you’ll need 1 cup/8 fluid ounces of unsweetened coconut milk for the cupcakes and 1/4 cup/2 fluid ounces of it for the frosting. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy the cupcakes if you make them!
If I don’t want cupcakes, but prefer a cake, what are your suggestions for type of cake pan, pan prep and timing???
This looks yummy!
Hi Ruth, I think you could bake this batter in two 9-inch cake pans (be sure to spray them with Baker’s Joy or Pam with Flour, line the bottoms with parchment rounds, then spray again). I thinking you’ll probably need to increase the frosting by 1.5x. Hope that helps, and I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it.
Maybe I am missing it but I didn’t see anywhere where it tells what size cake you can make with this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Randi, If you’d like to turn this into a layer cake, it should work in either two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans; the bake time for the cake layers will be 30 to 35 minutes (but make sure you keep a close eye on them). Hope that helps!
I have leftover sweetened coconut flakes from another recipe and was looking for something to make with it. This is perfect!! Making it this weekend!!
I love these so much!! Everyone in my family is a big coconut fan so they always freak out over them. I had the honor of testing these for your cookbook and have made them several times. Sometimes, I will lightly toast the coconut that I sprinkle on top to add a bit of contrast if I have time. A+ recipe that is delicious and reliable! Thank you!
I just wanted to say how delicciiioousss these are!! Ohh my gosh!!! I’m a coconut fan and even Without the icing, these cupcakes are just marvelous! I literally ate them all by myself in 3 days…. 😅😅😅 thank you again for a great recipe!!!