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Honey’s Coconut Cupcakes

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By Jenn Segal
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Named for my great-grandmother “Honey,” these old-fashioned coconut cupcakes are tender and super coconut-y.

Coconut Cupcakes on a cake platter.

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.

Black and white picture of a woman standing on a sidewalk next to snow.

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

Metric Cup Measures
By Jenn Segal
From Once Upon a Chef, The Cookbook

Named for my great-grandmother “Honey,” these old-fashioned coconut cupcakes are tender and super coconut-y.

Servings: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes

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

  1. 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).
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. MAKE AHEAD: The cupcakes can be made and frosted up to 1 day ahead of time. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
  4. 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.)
  5. Note: Adding cornstarch to the flour mimics cake flour, which makes a lighter and more delicate cake.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • 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
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

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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  • My family really enjoyed this recipe…I didn’t even get icing made, it was half gone so what was the point. Need I say more! ; )
    I baked it in a 9 x 13. Today I’m going to toast the coconut and double the recipe.

    • Much nicer with the coconut toasted!!

  • Absolute winner! I made these for a church potluck and received rave reviews from everyone. I’m not the biggest coconut fan so I was a bit worried that the flavor would be overwhelming, but it definitely wasn’t. I only sprinkled shredded coconut over half the finished cupcakes and left the other half with just the frosting and it was perfect for those like myself who prefer it plain. I also made half the frosting recipe and still had more than enough to frost all 24 cupcakes so I don’t think you need to make the full amount unless you really like to pile it on thick or pipe it in a fancy way.

  • Loved the cupcakes just as is, didn’t even need the frosting, which I personally found to be overly sweet. (This frosting recipe calls for 4 cups of confec sugar whereas other recipes I see for similar icing only call for 2 cups, as well as less butter. ) Really good coconut taste in the cupcake, but not artificially strong, just right!

    • Well, if your other recipe called for less butter it would naturally also call for less sugar. 😉 In the end, it would end up being the same sweetness, just more frosting when you double both of those ingredients.

  • Hi Jenn, absolutely love this recipe and have made the cupcakes several times. I’d like to make it for a birthday, and am wondering what the best conversion would be for making a layer cake. Can I use two, 9 inch round pans with this recipe? Thank you!

    • Just found the answer in the questions. Looks like 8 or 9 inch should work. Thanks again!

  • A co-worker wants a Coconut cake for her birthday, I’ve read a lot of recipes and this sounds the best by far. The problem is she doesn’t like cream cheese frosting! what can I replace the cream cheese with, or do i need to use a different frosting recipe altogether?

    • Hi Mary, You can easily replace the cream cheese in this recipe with more butter. It will still be delicious. Hope that helps!

      • I made a test batch of the cupcakes and took to work, EVERYONE loved them! Next week I am using the recipe to make the Birthday Cake and my coworkers can’t wait! I would give this recipe 8 stars if I could.

        • Just found this recipe and wondered if I can add a little Cardamon in the batter?

          • Sure Lisa that should be fine. Hope you enjoy!

            • — Jenn

  • Hi, I don’t have cornstarch. Can I use whole wheat flour as a substitute for this recipe ?

    • Hi Jo, I would not suggest whole wheat flour here. Instead, I’d replace the cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. more of all-purpose flour. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!

  • If I am using salted butter should I omit the salt in the recipe?

    • Hi Sue, While it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so, yes, you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps!

  • Do these cupcakes freeze well?
    Also, can I cut the recipe in half to feed a smaller crowd?

    • They do freeze well, Sonia (without the frosting) — and, yes, it’s fine to cut the recipe in half. Enjoy!

  • Would it be OK to use light cream cheese for the icing?

    • Hi Patti, Yes I think that’d be fine. Enjoy!

  • The cupcakes turned out great! I have leftover frosting- how long will it last?

    • Hi Liz, glad you liked the cupcakes! The frosting can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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