Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcakes are easy-peasy tender white cupcakes topped with the most insanely delicious coconut cream cheese frosting ~ it’s no wonder they were super popular at her famous Barefoot Contessa shop!
crowd pleasing coconut cupcakes
These classic cupcakes were crowd pleasers year after year in Ina’s Barefoot Contessa shop on Long Island, and I’m so not surprised. They’re easy to make and really there’s not a single bad thing I can say about them. The batter is easy to throw together and the cupcakes bake up with perfect little domes. The frosting is to die for, it has the tang of cream cheese without being overpowering. And who can resist big fluffy mounds of coconut?
grocery list for coconut cupcakes
- 8 ounces cream cheese ~ you want the brick style cheese, not whipped. I recommend the full fat version.
- 7 ounce bag of sweetened shredded coconut ~ you want moist sweetened coconut, I use Bakers Angel Flake.
- buttermilk ~ if you don’t keep buttermilk in your fridge, you should! It makes such a difference in baking.
pantry staples
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- flour
- vanilla and almond extract
- baking powder and soda
- salt
- confectioner’s sugar
baking with coconut ~ choose the right kind!
The cake is tender and moist, and has half the bag of coconut folded into it. The frosting is topped with the other half, so there’s plenty of coconut presence. There are lots of different types of coconut (desiccated, shaved, flaked and shredded) and you want to be sure to buy the right type. I use Bakers Angel Flake. It’s sweetened flaked coconut that is quite moist.
TIP: If you’d like to top your cupcakes with toasted coconut, spread it on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 3 minutes, stirring after every minute, until it turns golden brown.
dress up your cupcakes
In honor of spring I baked the cupcakes up in some cute floral wrappers I found on Amazon. I keep all my decorative cupcake liners stacked in mason jars, it’s an old Pinterest hack that really works great to keep them organized and crush proof
FOOD STYLIST’S TIP: after baking and frosting, slip a second fresh muffin liner onto your cupcakes for a prettier look.
We found that the cupcakes fit perfectly into a coffee carrier ~ the perfect way to tote them to the office, or to a neighbor!
more coconut, please!
- Coconut Snowball Cookies
- Triple Coconut Pound Cake
- Thai Coconut Soup (tom kha)
- Our Favorite Salmon Coconut Curry
- How to Make Coconut Rice
- Creamy Fruit Salad with Coconut Dressing
- Pineapple Coconut Bars
Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3 1/2 ounces sweetened coconut
cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounce block of cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 3 1/2 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. I do this in my stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each one. Beat in the extracts.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the mixing bowl, alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined, and scrape down the bowl. Fold in the coconut. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl to get everything incorporated.
- Fill 10 cupcake liners. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden browned and done through. You can test with a toothpick if you like. The tops should spring back when lightly touched. Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove them to a rack to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting cream together the soft cream cheese and butter. Add the extract and the sifted sugar and beat until fluffy. Frost the cupcakes generously and top with coconut.
Notes
- These are hefty cupcakes. If you are baking for kids you can make them smaller.
Nutrition
Taste-wise, would it be ok to toast the coconut that goes on top or is it better to not?
Just depends on your preference, either will work!
I consider myself a pretty good baker and while I likes the vanilla and almond flavor these cupcakes were sooo dense and not very moist. Very disappointed. I did like the icing but if you are looking for a light moist cupcake this is not for you.
These are hands down the best cupcakes I have ever made, the only people who don’t like them are not fans of coconut. They dress up any occasion, I just have to make sure it’s a special event or I will eat them all.
Thanks so much Joan 🙂
Can you cut this recipe in 1/2.. ?
Sure, I don’t see why not.
Can these be made with only the whites of egg? I like a pure white cupcake.
I think that should work fine Michelle.
I had too much batter for 10, so I made 12. Even then, they came out like muffins, not cupcake, overhanging on the sides. Will divide amongst 14 next time. Haven’t tasted them yet….
They are quite big, for sure!
Hi!!! I made the cupcakes and they turned out perfectly thank you. I do have a question though, once frosted do I need to refrigerate them if consuming in two days?
Best
Alexandra
Yes, because of the cream cheese in the frosting, they’ll need to be refrigerated after 2 hours at room temperature.
I noticed that you have cut the original recipe in half. Do your equations create the same scrumptious cup cakes as the original?
Yes, I think you can see from the photos they’re nice and plump!
Yours look beautiful! Love the photos. Unfortunately, mine turned out heavy, dense, and greasy. Not sure what I did wrong, but I’m sure it was operator error…. I only bake about twice a year. These are going to be for my mom’s birthday. Last year I made a coconut layer cake for her that was tender and light. Hope she still loves me!
Oh that’s a shame DW, and I know how frustrating that can be. Ina’s recipes are very well tested, so I would encourage you to try again if you have time!!
These would be so cute with green dyed coconut and chocolate eggs on top! Can’t wait to make them.
They would be!