Mother Lovett was famous for her coconut cream pie. I was famous for eating it.
Since I have barely mastered her pie crust recipe, I have yet to make a coconut cream pie.
In that case, I made the next best thing – coconut cream cupcakes!
I love coconut. I will happily eat it in anything.
My husband on the other hand, hates coconut. I’ve attempted to sneak it into dishes and desserts, but he always finds it. The only reason I attempt sneaking it in is because that strategy works with other foods he does not like, such as ricotta cheese. He thinks he hates it, but he has eaten it many times. Same goes for figs. And almonds.
Last night, he told me that he didn’t like ‘broiled’ chicken. I then went through a list of dishes that he had eaten in the past month with chicken that had been broiled – wraps, quesadillas, the tuscan lemon chicken that almost burnt our house down …
Yes, I shot down that one.
Alas, I still don’t think he will ever go for my beloved coconut. Perhaps if I smother it with 6 different cuts of meat, he might?
I adapted my own recipe for vanilla bean cupcakes, using some coconut milk and heavy cream in the batter.
The cake came out creamy and rich, even before I added the frosting.
The toasted coconut garnish topped it off. I love coconut, but love it toasted even more.
Coconut Cream Cupcakes
makes about 16 cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs together until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the coconut milk and heavy cream. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in shredded coconut.
Pour into cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 mins at 350. Let cool, then frost.
Coconut Cream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
2-8 oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
1.5 – 2 lbs powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz package Jello instead coconut cream pudding
toasted coconut for garnish
Cream butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar gradually and mix. Add in instant pudding mix. Mix until desired consistency. Frost cupcake and top with toasted coconut.
As I was writing this, I just remembered that my husband has eaten coconut. Sam’s Club makes a coconut shrimp that is battered and fried and artery-clogging delicious.
This just proves my theory that he has eaten everything that he says he hates.
I am always right.
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I think somebody needs to get some coconut oil in their pantry. You would have a BLAST with it–so smooth and creamy, omg I could eat some with a spoon right now
I do have some coconut oil! Use it all the time.
Just ordered some coconut butter, too!
I am not a big coconut fan either but these look like they might make me change my mind! Beautiful pictures!
Jessica, why are you torturing me like this! I just told you that my sweet tooth has gotten out of control! I’ll be book marking these for a special occasion.
I love coconut. Thanks for the recipe
I also love coconut EVERYHING, and my husband also thinks he hates lots of things that he eats all the time. Boys are so silly.
Okay, I know I say this about every single one of your recipes, but lady, these look incredible! I bought coconut the other day to put in some granola I was making and I can’t keep my hand out of the bag!
I love coconut! Love the story that goes along with it. Of course these look like little pillows of heaven. Enjoy!
Ummm can you teleport me some of these delicious looking cupcakes pleaseeeeeeeee?!?!?!? hahaha they look so good! I adore coconut, add it to my oats every morning and am also on a coconut oil kick (even wash my face with the stuff, it’s amazing)… I must make these soon!!!
Oh wow those sound delicious!!! I’m slightly strange in that I LOVE coconut, the flavor of it, but I can’t stand coconut in shredded form. It’s a texture thing. But those cupcakes might convince me to give it another try.
And that’s so funny about your husband!! My mom and I do that to my dad all of the time.. men..
These look so delicious!!I hate how the unsweetened coconut never looks pretty. The frosting recipe reminds me of my grandma’s frosting (AKA my dinner every night when I was little)… It was 1 pack of coconut, vanilla, or chocolate pudding mix, 1 tub of cool whip and 1/2 c. powdered sugar. It was actually really good, especially on icecream cakes because it stayed soft.
Everything you make looks so incredibly good!
Your cupcakes look like a picture from a magazine!! Gorgeous!! I’m actually not a big coconut fan, but my husband is. I might see if I can make a gluten free version of these for his birthday!!
Based on my previous experiences with your cupcakes, these are probably awesome. Yum!
And of course you are always right!
I’m gonna have to go with your husband on this one, not a huge fan of coconuts. The cupcakes look pretty tasty though, regardless
.
ha love what u said about alwyas being right
i am so the same way !! delicious recipe
off the rickter scale!!!!!!!!
these also spark my interest: vanilla bean cupcakes,
as does anything loaded w/ frosting
Girl. Please come bake for me! xoxo
3 cheers for being always right! And for these cupcakes!
I ADORE coconut cream pie! And coconut cake!! And ANYTHING with coconut
Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous cupcakes…I love coconut!
Looks great as usual. I wish when I made cupcakes (which at this rate is next to never) I could get the icing as pretty as yours.
oh my do those look good!
oh my gosh- these look so good! I want to make mini cupcake versions. I sneak foods my husband “doesn’t” like in too- always makes me secretly giggle
hahaha…my husband does the same thing sometimes
and i agree, toasted coconut is heavenly, and these cupcakes look perfect
They look to.die.for.!
I’m sure the cream pie is fantastic but these cupcakes look so amazing…! Love the toasted coconut. I love coconut anything…!
How does someone NOT like coconut!? Oh man oh man I live for coconut….in virtually anything! Especially macaroons
I love coconut too – but my hubby isn’t a big fan either!
Mmm…you are seriously a gal after my own heart! LOL
LOVE coconut.
Annnnd…I have a birthday coming up in February.
These might have to make an appearance!
Holy YUM. I also love coconut, and just put some in my homemade granola bars I made today…..I also have a Barefoot Contessa Coconut Cupcake mix I got for x-mas that I need to use up. I’m excited to try it, and then make yours!
Beautiful cupcakes! I used to not like coconut either but things change when you have it baked up nicely.
Those look amazing!
And of course you’re always right- you are from the superior sex- I told my boyfriend the other day that he was lucky he had me to run his life- he didn’t get it because apparently he’d “made it fine the last 26 years of his life”; I simply told him that he couldn’t call that living..
You seriously make the most delicious looking food on earth!
OMG girl, these look out of this world! I adore coconut in desserts. I know that some people despise the taste of coconut, but I can not understand how one could dislike such a good thing. Wow, thank you so much for this recipe. Now, if only I could bake…LoL
Hope you are well hun!
They have coconut chicken and tilapia! Personally, I love coconut cream pie…though I wouldn’t turn down a few dozen of these cupcakes…
I can eat coconut anything too, but for some reason I dont like coconut drinks!
Have you tried making coconut chicken? so yum!
HOLY YUM! I LOVE COCONUT!
These will definitely be on the menu at my next gathering that requires a cake (aka maybe a birthday??).
The frosting sounds really interesting!
Mmmm….*reaches for one*
Hey – I’m a first time commenter, but I thought I would let you know how much I love reading your posts. Your recipes always look amazing. I’m really looking forward to trying out these cupcakes. Cupcakes are the best!
I can’t believe I used to HATE coconut. Now I love it. These look so amazing. I’m supposed to stay away from coconut because of my intolerance to fructose, but sometimes I still eat it, it’s just so good!
Have a great day Jessica!
I am also in the “coconut only if fried covering shrimp” boat. That must be why hubby and I get along so well
these look so decadent and delish and BEAUTIFUL!!! I think i hate certain foods too then i eat them and think “oh well FINE, I like them today, but normally I dont” hahaha I think it depends how certain foods are prepared. I HATE pine nuts but really like them only if they are toasted. Raw? forget about it!!
LOVE THESE CUPCAKES!
I’m making these tonight for my wife
I totally do the same thing with my fiance…sneaking in foods he “doesn’t like” into recipes and most of the time it works! He never knows until I say something like, “So, what do you think of (fill in the blank)?” and then the jig is up. He’s usually OK with it though, luckily!
Caitlin,
Between the swearing and drinking and general dislike of coconut, we are blogging kindred spirits!
I love coconut but my wife on another side likes it only on shrimp, I will have to try to convince her some way to give this a try,
Maybe I’ll bribe her.
)
Your cupcakes look wonderful! I love coconut… I’m thinking these would be perfect for Easter. I always get in a coconut mood in the spring!
If I don’t have coconut milk could I use coconut extract?
You could use a teaspoon of coconut extract to flavor it, but you don’t want to replace the liquid measurement with that. I would just use milk instead.
As soon as I found this recipe I knew I had to make it. They were amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’m having trouble finding instant coconut pudding mix
I’m dying to make these and have checked 4 different stores! Did you find it at a chain store or something more specialized?
I just made these! They were super easy and delicious of course! Thanks for the recipe.
Here are a few pics:
http://tinypic.com/r/17s8cw/7
http://tinypic.com/r/346xm61/7
http://tinypic.com/r/10d795i/7
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