Coconut Lime Cupcakes + Video
These Coconut Lime Cupcakes are the perfect mix of tropical and citrus flavors, with a lime and coconut cupcake base, coconut cream cheese frosting, and toasted coconut on top!
Okay, I waited as long as I possibly could before pulling out the lime desserts on you again this year, but it has begun, so if you like lime as much as I do, get excited! If you don’t…uh, what’s wrong with you?! I kid, I kid!
Now I like my lime desserts super tangy, and unfortunately this one is not, but the coconut makes up for that! There’s coconut milk, lime juice and lime zest in the cupcake base. And the frosting, oh my! It’s my favorite cream cheese frosting with coconut extract! I love coconut almost as much as I love lime!
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Since the lime is very light in flavor, my favorite way to eat these is to use that little garnish of lime on top and squeeze it over the frosting, then go to town on that cupcake! I also wait to put the toasted coconut on top until just before eating because it stays crisp that way and adds a great contrast in textures with the light, fluffy cupcake, smooth creamy frosting, and the crispy, sweet coconut!
These cupcakes are pretty and delicious, and with the green wrapper and lime wedge on top, can make a fun “green” St. Patrick’s Day treat!
Coconut Lime Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake:
- 1 ¼ cup (150 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) oil, (canola/vegetable)
- 2 to 3 tsp lime zest, from 1 medium lime
- 4 Tbsp lime juice, 1 medium lime
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- ¾ cup (180 ml) coconut milk, (from a can)
Coconut Frosting & Garnishes:
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cold (I typically use Neufchatel)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp coconut extract
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- 2 to 4 Tbsp toasted coconut, (Toast sweetened coconut flakes in a pan on the stovetop or in the oven, stirring frequently; once it browns it will happen quickly!)
- Lime slices cut into fourths
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl. Then add the oil, lime zest and juice, coconut extract, and coconut milk.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Line a cupcake pan with paper cups and fill each cup ⅔ full.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. (Alternately use a toothpick to test the center of a cupcake.) Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
- Make frosting by beating the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add butter 1 Tbsp at a time and beat thoroughly after each addition. Then add the coconut extract and powdered sugar all at once and mix until just combined. Do not over beat frosting once the sugar is added.
- Scoop frosting into a pastry bag that’s been fitted with a tip and pipe frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes.
- Garnish with a wedge of lime and sprinkle of toasted coconut.
Video
Notes
- For more lime flavor, squeeze the wedge of lime garnish onto the cupcake just before consuming.
- Wait to add the toasted coconut until just before serving so it stays crisp. The longer it sits on the cupcake, the more it absorbs the moisture from the frosting and will go soft.
Did you make this?
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*Video added 1/27/18
Hi! I made these when I first found the recipe about five years ago. They were awesome. I have been thinking about them, so I decided to make them again. I’m so bummed that they didn’t rise. Not only once, but twice I baked these in the last 24 hours and both times they didn’t rise. Any idea what I did wrong this time? Thanks for the help! I know these are delicious!
Hi Rhiannon! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe the first time you made it. I haven’t made any changes to it, so that’s strange that it’s not working for you now. I wonder if your baking powder or baking soda is old? Other ideas would be the oven wasn’t pre-heated quite to temperature when the batter went in the oven. (I keep a thermometer in my oven because it usually takes longer than when the oven says it’s ready.) Or the batter sat out too long before it went in the oven. Also be sure not to over-mix the batter, small lumps are ok. If you need to fold in the dry ingredients instead of stirring like my video, that may help. Hope you get it figured out!
Do these if freeze well (without the frosting)?
Yes. I would individually wrap them and then put them in a freezer safe container for optimal freshness.