You guys. Get excited – these coconut cupcakes with “buttercream” frosting are going to be your new favorite dessert! I have been dying to share this recipe with you and am so excited that Mother’s Day is just around the corner because I’ve been saving it specifically for that! I started working on this recipe over a month ago, and since then, I’ve made them several times for every occasion, and they’re always a huge hit! In my personal (and ahem… totally unbiased) opinion, I must say, this is the perfect cupcake. A big statement, I know, but I’m standing behind it! They taste decadent and coconutty, but still light, fluffy, and soft, and not overly sweet. And obviously, you know if I’m sharing it on here, it’s going to be totally nutritionist (me! hi!)-approved!
There are two keys to this recipe. 1 – Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix, and 2 – the frosting. So you probably already know about my Simple Mills obsession. My pantry basically looks like the Simple Mills aisle at Whole Foods because I’m never without their almond flour crackers, crunchy chocolate cookies, bread mixes (for healthy bagels!), pancake & waffle mixes for weekend brunches, and of course, their baking mixes. I used the Vanilla Cupcake & Cake Mix for these cupcakes, which I love because it’s made with only 6 super simple ingredients, it’s lightly sweetened with coconut sugar, and it made for the perfect base for all of the coconutty goodness that I added in.
Ok, let’s talk about this frosting for a second.
Drool! I was on a mission to come up with a frosting that was simple and clean as could be. After several trials, I found the perfect combination – coconut butter, vanilla extract, coconut milk, and maple syrup. No shortening or powdered sugar required! It’s also sturdy enough to pipe through a decorating bag for a fancy touch… promise that’s easier than you’d think! You can also keep it simple and frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or offset spatula. Either way, they’ll be a crowd favorite at Mother’s Day or for your upcoming entertaining all Spring & Summer long!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
1 box Simple Mills Cake & Cupcake Mix
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk*
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup shredded coconut flakes + 2 tbsp for garnish
For the frosting
2 cups coconut butter (also called coconut manna)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp full-fat coconut milk
Makes 12 cupcakes and 2 cups of frosting**
You’ll also need:
A muffin pan
Cupcake liners
Optional: a decorating bag and star tip to pipe the frosting
Instructions
Recipe notes:
*It’s normal for the canned coconut milk to separate. Shake it very well before opening the can and using it in the recipe, or you can pour it from the can into a bowl to mix, before adding it to the cupcake batter and frosting.
**If you’re just doing a light layer of the frosting and spreading it on the cupcakes with a knife, rather than piping it, you can cut the frosting recipe in half!
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the cupcake ingredients except the shredded coconut. Then fold in the shredded coconut (reserving 2 tbsp to sprinkle over the frosting at the end).
- Spoon the batter evenly into the paper-lined muffin pan.
- Bake for 17 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting (otherwise the frosting will melt!).
- Make the frosting: add all of the frosting ingredients into a food processor. Process until completely smooth and you’ve reached a nice frosting consistency – this may take a minute.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, time to frost them! Two options: either use a butter knife or an offset spatula to frost the cupcakes OR add the frosting to a decorating bag fit with a star tip, and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle remaining shredded coconut over the top of the frosting.
If these aren’t the ideal dessert of the season, I don’t know what is! Can’t wait for you to try out the recipe! By the way, if you’re looking for the Simple Mills cake mix or other products, you can find the locations nearest to you by searching right here (and PS – it’s now at Target, yay!).
Happy Mother’s Day & happy spring, my friends!
This post is in partnership with Simple Mills. All content, opinions, and words are my own, and I only promote products that I truly LOVE. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that support Weeknight Bite!
